The Curse
by Famous Fault
Summary: WD Zorro. Soldiers are being killed brutally, but not robbed, Capitan Monastario asks Don Alejandro to find out what is going on. Zorro beats him to the point and his findings may prove that he has to deal with a whole new kind of killer . . .
1. Mysteries

Wow … this is … not a one-shot. I might quite possibly have done something stupid. Nonetheless, although this doesn't have first priority it will be done completely. I can't live with myself without finishing a story … so

Enjoy

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"Don Alejandro, I take it you are unfamiliar with this so called curse?" Capitan Monastario asked with a charming but dangerous smile.

Don Alejandro was unimpressed. "Of course I am unfamiliar with it, I do not believe in curses", he said, his hostility detectable. He was also not amused, he was a pragmatic man and stories of curses and the like was not something he wanted to waste any time on.

"I hear that you doubt me", Capitan Monastario said and made a disapproving noise. "How unfortunate. You see, this curse is really making my soldiers restless, it kills the men who come with their payroll."

"Well, in that case it isn't a curse, but bandidos!" Don Alejandro said condescending, as if the case was resolved. He still did not know what he had to do with anything and the only thing he really wanted to do was leave.

"That was what I thought, so I send a group of four lancers there to get rid of those bandidos. When the four arrived they saw that the payroll was still there and the men were ripped to bloody shreds. Two of the lancers hid themselves while the other two went forth to get the payroll and bury the dead couriers. Guess what happened?" Capitan Monastario said and crossed his arms, as if he had already proven his point.

Don Alejandro made a dejected gesture with his arms. "Enlighten me!"

"Before those two lancers even could reach the two dead couriers and the payroll of the soldiers they were killed", Capitan Monastario said.

"Bandidos", Don Alejandro repeated, loosing his temper more and more.

"No. The two other lancers informed me that their two now dead companions were dragged off their horses by an invisible force, then, in front of their eyes they were torn into several parts. The lancers stayed to watch, too petrified to move, and all the while they saw no one else there. It's either an invisible demon or a curse!" Monastario said , sounding more excited than was appropriate.

"What happened to their horses?" Don Alejandro asked with a frown.

"The same thing, the horses of the men all suffered the same horrible fate", Capitan Monastario said impatiently.

Don Alejandro was silent for a moment and crossed his arms. "I don't buy it."

"In that case I am sure you won't mind to go on an expedition to find the explanation to this tragic event. My soldiers don't dare anymore, they are rather shaken by the death of their comrades", Capitan Monastario said and folded his hands under his chin.

"And what about you, Commandante?" Don Alejandro asked, "wouldn't you try to find the answer?"

"Well of course I would", Capitan Monastario said, his tone falsely saddened, "but it is unfortunate that Cayetano Varela is coming to Los Angeles, he is one of the kings most trusted men, I have to be here to welcome him and while he is here I certainly can't leave the pueblo."

"So you want us to do it?" Don Alejandro said, still unable to keep his condescending tone under control. They were both playing charades, and they both knew it. "You hope that me and my friends will perish under that same curse?"

"Don Alejandro, how can you think something like that about me? Of course I do not wish you harm, I just want this curse to be lifted so innocent travelers wont be killed like that, it would be awful", Capitan Monastario said and smiled, "It is a mere request, my friend, not an order."

"Don't call me friend", Don Alejandro hissed and stood up, he took his hat and put it back on his head, "I will consider it. Adios." Angrily Don Alejandro left the office of the commandante. Even though the commandante was using the current circumstances too manipulate things to his favor it was undeniable that the facts remained.

It was true that the commandante could not leave the pueblo, it was also true that something had to be done about that curse, whatever that curse really was. The commandante's suggestion had even been the logical thing to do. Don Alejandro was not happy. Upon arriving at the hacienda he told Diego about it. Diego agreed, something had to be done, though he was not quite sure what, he was also certain that the capitan had some extra thought concerning that curse.

Of course, Diego did not tell his father that. "I'm certain that the commandante is simply worried and that he means no harm", he said instead, once again disappointing his father. He excused himself shortly after and pretended to go to bed.

"One last thing, father", Diego said before leaving for his room, "I know you do not believe in curses, but perhaps you should wait until dawn before going on such a dangerous expedition."

Don Alejandro gave a halfhearted assurance that he would not leave the hacienda before dawn, seeing as it was foolishness to walk into enemy territory after nightfall. He too went to bed.

When Diego and Bernardo were in the confinement of Diego's room he explained the situation to his servant. Bernardo did not look happy at all when he heard the explanation and made clear that he found it a very poor idea that they'd go look into it now.

"I have dealt with curses before, Bernardo", Diego said with his usual undismayed smile, "they are always mere illusions by cunning bandidos. Are you coming with me?"

Bernardo's dislike was evident on his face, but he nodded nonetheless. There was no curse or other horror that could scare him from Diego's side. Diego had however seen Bernardo's fear and smiled gently. "Bernardo, it is not shameful for you to want to stay here. Perhaps you should, just to be safe."

Bernardo started to protest, but then changed his mind and nodded. He would not dismiss a gesture of kindness when it was handed to him. Together the two men found their way into the secret passage and minutes later Zorro was mounted on Tornado. He said a quick goodbye to his servant before riding of.

The soldiers and couriers were laying exactly where Monastario had said they would be. Zorro had not approached from the road and he could see the spot from quite far away. He dismounted and told Tornado to wait for him. Slowly he made his way closer, at all times spying for Monastario's soldiers, he saw none. Perhaps Monastario had been telling the truth?

The scene was truly horrifying. One of the horses and two of the men had been decapitated, all horses and soldiers were missing limbs. Those limbs, strewn over the scene, where sometimes cut in several parts too. It was as if they had been slashed with a very long and thin sword at random, horses and men alike. Whoever had done this was truly merciless.

He was cautious, instead of simply walking over to where the dead soldiers were lying in a ground soaked by blood he thought a while. Then he broke of a branch from a nearby tree, with all his might he threw the wooden stick towards the soldiers. It landed on the ground, between the front legs of one of the horses. Nothing happened to it.

Zorro wasted no time. He dove into his saddlebag and conjured a chicken, its beak was bound to keep it silent and its feet were bound to keep it from running. He undid the bindings and then threw the chicken towards the scene, it flexed its wings to keep from crashing to the ground at full speed and even though it could not fly, it managed to land somewhat gracefully next to a human foot.

Then, faster than either Zorro or the chicken could react, it was parted in three uneven bits. The bird never even made a sound as it lost its life. Zorro, for one of the first few times since adopting that identity, gawked. There, in front of his eyes, something invisible had killed a living being. This was alarming.

For a split second he wondered if the Commandante's words had been true? Perhaps it really was a curse. Then he shook his head. He did not believe in curses. There had to be some sort of logical reason as to why these things were happening.

He took some more time to plan what he would do now. He would not dare to come close, there was no telling how far that killing force reached. He made a lasso from the rope he had brought with him, throwing it he hoped that his theory on only alive things being affected would hold.

Although he was not as skilled with the lasso as he was with the whip, he was competent enough to use the lasso to retrieve the corpses of the men. At least they could be buried properly. Zorro had to admit that he was repulsed by the job and he refrained from trying to find out which limbs belonged to whom, he'd leave that to the lancers. He could do nothing for the horses, they were too heavy, even in bits. On the tree under which he had gathered the corpses he carved a Z.

Then he made two signs that said 'Beware, mortal danger'. He placed one of these signs on either side of the place where the soldiers had been killed to make sure no one else would dare himself too close. On those signs he did not put a Z, even though it would make the villagers even more certain too heed the warning, it would also make soldiers and important people ignore it.

On one side of the road there was a large grassland with trees and bushes, on the other side were mountains. Zorro had already established that the grassland was safe, although he had not dared to come within a ten meters radius from the place where the blood colored the ground.

He decided to search the mountains consisting of boulders. It was perfect for bandidos and he hoped to find bandidos there and have them explain what had happened. Yet again he did not dare come too close to the place where the men had been killed, but he searched the mountains as careful as he could, leaving no rock unturned.

At last he found the bandidos. A hidden cave revealed the five sleeping thieves. Zorro could see them from where he was standing a fair bit above them. He made his way to the cave but stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that the bandidos weren't sleeping. They had suffered the same horrible fate as the soldiers.

So why was there a fire burning?

As with the soldiers their valuables had not been stolen. Zorro took the burning fire as a sign that someone was still alive, probably the one responsible for all those deaths. He hid himself and waited for someone to return.

When early dawn approached still no one had arrived and the fire was still burning, even though it had been hours since Zorro had arrived, the fire had not faltered one bit. It surpassed strange. He sighed and wondered what he should do now? With dawn approaching he had to be home before his father missed them and get a message to the commandante before his father set out.

A scream from the road made him leave his position. A woman was standing a bit from his warning sign and she had caught sight of the dead horses. A man was standing next to her and held her in a way that indicated the he was her husband. Zorro recognized the man, he had once come across him in Spain, it was CayetanoVarela.

"Señor", Zorro said as he made himself present with a little bow, "I suggest you do not continue on this road. The grassland on your right is safe for passage. When you reach Los Angeles, inform the commandante that his soldiers can be buried and that the bandidos who lived here are dead too."

"Did you kill them?" señor Varela asked and drew his sword.

"There is no sword that can inflict such injuries. I did not kill them, neither the bandits or the commandante's men. I do not know who did, but something strange is going on here", he said dead serious. He himself was close to believing in a curse, had he not seen all the oddities occurring himself?

"Señor, who are you?" Cayetano Varela asked, his sword still ready.

"Does it matter, señor?", he asked, "I am here to help. If you allow me I will lead the way so you can come across safely."

"Right into a trap?" señor Varela asked condescending, "I am not that foolish! Do not underestimate me, bandido!"

"Señor, you are insulting me. I am no bandido. I was merely taking the señora's well-being in account. I gathered the corpses of the men who died here and put them underneath a tree. It would be unfortunate if you would ride across them, they are not in presentable shape." For once Zorro was not smiling, as he usually did, laughing at his enemies. This situation was gravely different and did not call forth any smiles.

What in the world would kill both bandido's and soldiers of the king and not take anything of value? Perhaps more importantly, what could kill like that? It had even killed the chicken that innocently enough had landed on the spot. Perhaps it just killed, without knowing what it killed. Perhaps it simply enjoyed killing? A frightful thought.

"You two", señor Varela said and pointed at two of his five escorts, "go with him and confirm his words, if there is any sign of a trap you kill him."

Although the two soldiers did not like the arrangement they did not dare to oppose señor Varela. They followed the masked man and soon found themselves standing wide-eyed in front of a pile of body-parts. One of them looked like he'd go sick.

On their way there they had searched the bushes and trees carefully to see if there was anyone else around. They had found no one. Now, while returning, they did not bother. "This is horrible!"

"Sí", Zorro said, "I have been searching for an answer, but have not yet found one."

The horror the soldiers had witnessed was still apparent on their faces when they returned to the carriage. "We should follow him, señor", the one who had taken it slightly better said when returning. "He did not do it, no human could."

Señor Varela stood silent for a little while before making up his mind. "Sí, I will follow you, but you will go by foot and two of the soldiers will at all times have their musket loaded and pointed at you. If you try anything it will be the last thing you do."

"As you wish, señor", Zorro said and bowed a last time before crossing the road. "This way, please."

It took them a little while before they were back on the road, a little past the second warning sign. The sun was slowly starting to become visible. Silently he prayed that Bernardo was able to make his father believe that he still slept.

When they were back on the road señor Varela stepped out of the carriage again. "Thank you, señor, whoever you are, I had not expected you to be an honest man. Are you no thief?"

"No, señor. I protect the people from tyranny", he said, a small smile falling into place.

"Tyranny?" señor Varela repeated surprised as he was joined by his wife.

"Sí, señor, our pueblo is held in an iron grip by a cruel man, commandante Monastario. I am the only one who stands between the people and his tyranny."

"I was told that all the trouble was caused by an outlaw named Zorro", señor Varela said confused.

"Darling, if the Commandante is a tyrant, isn't that exactly what he would write in a report? Blame all the things that happen on an outlaw and leave out his own parts?" Señora Varela said with a small smile. Zorro liked her voice, it was under no circumstance as sweet and gentle as that of the señorita's in pueblo, but it witnessed of a good mind and deep insight, hinted with justice and conviction. It was a pleasant voice.

"I am impressed, señora", Zorro said, "not everyone thinks that far. Many people have written letters to the governor in Monterey, but no one is heard. That is why I, Zorro, have to protect the people."

The señor made an involuntary gesture towards his sword and now every one of the escorts had their muskets pointed at the outlaw. "You are Zorro?"

"Sí", he confirmed and was ready to move at once if they attempted anything.

Señor Varela lifted a hand as a gesture for the soldiers to lower their muskets. "I am in your debt, señor Zorro, so I will let you go. Next time however I am required to capture you and I will attempt so. I will however take your words into account, not all people of the king are blind, if what you say is true I will do my best to change things."

"Gracias", was all Zorro said, he bowed and returned to the mountains. He heard the carriage leave and returned to the place from where he could see the cave. Nothing had changed. The fire was still burning brightly. Leaving the unsolved mystery as it was he returned home.

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Review, it will certainly enlarge the chance for a quick next chapter :)


	2. Accused

Tadaa! I'm good, ain't I. Next chapter, already, all for you

Enjoy

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He got about an hour of sleep before his father woke him up rather brutally. He, together with a few other rancheros and a few vaqueros working for them would leave soon, Don Alejandro wanted to know if Diego would be coming too.

Diego, tired as he was, had half a mind in saying that he would stay, but then he changed his mind. "Sí, father, I will come too." Don Alejandro left and Diego dressed quickly. "Bernardo, has no message come to the hacienda?"

Bernardo shook his head. Diego had taken the time to explain what had happened before going to bed earlier and had told Bernardo to come and get him as soon as a message arrived from the quartel. Had señor Varela not told the commandante what Zorro had asked him to tell? It seemed unlikely. Perhaps they had not arrived yet, though that seemed unlikely as well.

As soon as he was dressed he went downstairs, followed by Bernardo. Just as he reached the patio where his father had gathered the rancheros and vaqueros someone knocked on the front door. Diego gestured for Bernardo to go open and everyone present turned to see sergeant Garcia enter.

"Ah, sergeant", Diego said, "what are you doing here?"

"I have a message from the commandante for Don Alejandro", the sergeant said with a subdued voice. Diego recognized that tone, the sergeant only ever used it when something bad had happened. It rarely meant something good.

"Tell me", Don Alejandro said with a frown.

"The commandante has already found the answer to what happened. The person responsible for the murders of the couriers and my fellow soldiers … is Zorro." Sergeant Garcia looked uncomfortable and did not seem to know where to leave his hands. It was almost as if he was afraid that he'd be scolded.

Bernardo and Diego exchanged an alarmed glance. "What?" Don Alejandro called out, his disbelief present in his voice. Several of the other rancheros and vaqueros also expressed their doubts with loud protest.

"How does the commandante know that, sergeant?" Diego asked, hoping his voice was level enough.

"Señor Varela told him that, Don Diego", the sergeant said and placed his hands behind his back, "he met Zorro on his way here. They found a sign that said beware and Zorro helped them to the other side of the spot where the soldiers were killed. They were attacked there just seconds after Zorro left."

"What happened to them? Are they alright?" Diego asked, his horror growing with every second.

The sergeant shook his head before hanging it. "No, Don Diego, the only one who survived was señor Varela, the señora and their escorts all died in the same way as the soldiers before them. Apparently the bandidos who lived there are also dead."

Diego remembered the chicken, the little animal had simply been parted, as if someone had chopped it with a butcher's knife. Had the people he had met just a couple of hours ago really been killed in that same fashion? He shuddered.

"But Zorro?" Don Alejandro said, "he would not do something like that!"

"I don't know, Don Alejandro. Señora Varela and their escorts were killed just seconds after Zorro left. And", the sergeant added, "we found the corpses of the soldiers and couriers under a tree with a large Z carved in the trunk. Zorro might just as well have told the commandante that he is responsible. I'm sorry, Don Alejandro."  
The sergeant folded his hands, then put them on his stomach, before putting them behind his back again. He was highly uncomfortable and very disappointed. Even though he really wanted to capture Zorro, he still had seen him as something of a hero. This contradicted everything he had ever believed and it left him feeling very odd.

"I think this whole thing seems rather odd", one of the rancheros said, "Zorro has always saved lives, he'd never kill anyone."

The protests did not cease but sergeant Garcia did not reply to them anymore, there wasn't anything he could say. "I just came to tell you that you no longer need to find out the cause of these murders. I just hope we can stop them." With that said the gloomy sergeant left.

"I don't believe it", Don Alejandro said before sitting down on one of the chairs, "Zorro! No, it simply can't be."

"I agree", was all Diego managed to say. He had never imagined something like that to happen. He had been convinced that the danger was only on that particular spot, the chicken had been killed in a matter of seconds. He had been there, he had taken some time to put up the sign and nothing had happened to him, so why had Señora Varela and the escorts been killed past that spot? He had been with them just seconds before their death, was he really that lucky? Had he escaped death so narrowly? The questions were making him dizzy.

And he was accused …

No, not him. Zorro was. Though every person in the pueblo should know that Zorro would never do such a thing. Bernardo discretely expressed his worry for his patron, but Diego waved it of, saying it was okay. Bernardo did not believe him.

"Let's ride into town and find more information", Don Alejandro suggested and Diego latched onto the opportunity at once. It would be vital to know what the people thought of all this, if they believed the commandante then Zorro's work would become a lot harder. Perhaps they could speak to señor Varela, have him tell them his side of the story.

Minutes later they were on their way, the vaqueros returned to their haciendas while most of the rancheros went to the pueblo. Clearly everyone had already heard the news, the town was in uproar. The people who did believe that Zorro was responsible were arguing with those who thought he was falsely accused.

The tavern was no better.  
- "I'm telling you, Zorro has saved too many to simply start killing now!"

- "He's been accused falsely before!"

- "The man has done insane things, perhaps he simply went mad!"

- "I always though that Zorro was a weird figure."

Bernardo looked at Diego, his alarm evident on his face. Diego simply nodded, as to say 'I know'. Don Alejandro and the other rancheros quickly mixed themselves in different conversations, trying to find out as much as possible while trying to part fact from fiction. Apparently it had been mere luck that señor Varela survived. A trunk had fallen of the carriage and their escorts had not noticed so señor had told them stop and had for convenience sake stepped out himself to go get it. He had not even been on the road when he saw all the others, his wife and the five couriers, get killed. He had been the only survivor, no horse or human had been as lucky.

When señor Varela arrived here at first no one had believed it had been him. The only reason they had allowed him into the quartel was because he was carrying the king's seal. The commandante had recognized him and had with growing horror listened to the unbelievable story señor Varela had to tell.

The commandante did not really know if he should be joyous or not. The señor blamed Zorro for it all, he had told them that they were safe and just seconds after he had disappeared they had been attacked by an invisible force. Not to mention the pile of corpses with the Z carved above them. This scandal was too good to be true.

At the other hand, if Zorro was able to kill like that, what could they do against him? They'd have to shoot him on sight and hope that he would not kill them while attempting it. The truth was the capitan Monastario himself had doubts that Zorro was responsible, it was not something the fox would do. Nonetheless, he would not hesitate to use it against the outlaw.

With a little luck, Zorro was responsible. To have to deal with something else in addition to Zorro seemed like an impossible task. That commandante sighed. At the other hand, if it wasn't Zorro the outlaw would most likely try to bring this horror to an end himself to prove his innocence before the people. Capitan Monastario did not know what to hope for, he was getting a headache.

Diego, meanwhile, was relieved to find out that even though there was a significant amount of people with doubt, most of them still believed that Zorro was innocent. There were only few who right out believed him to be guilty.

Diego stayed in the tavern for quite a long time, trying to gather as much information as he could. At last the sergeant entered. He sat down at a free table and for once the thing he had always dreamed of happened. The waitress stepped forward and put a bottle of wine on the table. "This is on us", she said.

The smile that normally would have appeared on the face of the sergeant did not show itself. He thanked her silently and did not even bother pouring it into a cup, he drank directly from the bottle. Diego frowned at seeing the mannerism of the sergeant, it wasn't really like him to treat a bottle of wine with such a lack of enthusiasm.

"Tough day, sergeant?" Diego asked and sat down opposite him. Bernardo joined them too.

"Sí, Don Diego, a very tough day. We buried the soldiers. It is truly horrible. I simply cannot believe that Zorro would do something like that." The sergeant shook his head. "It is a sad day."

Diego nodded, there was nothing which he could agree on more. "What does the commandante say?" Diego asked curiously.

"He doesn't say much", the sergeant said, "he was just as shocked as the rest of us when we arrived there. Truth is, I think even he doubts that Zorro is responsible."

Diego was taken aback by that. So this even surpassed the tyrants lust for bloodshed and suffering. Who? Who could have done something like that?

"Nonetheless, the reward on Zorro, dead or alive, will be raised again", the sergeant muttered, "three thousand pesos, I doubt there has ever been a bigger reward on someone's head. I am supposed to go replace all the old posters with these." The sergeant lifted the bag he had been holding when he walked in and revealed many posters, looking pretty much the same as the old ones, only with a different reward written.

"Should I help you, sergeant?" Diego suggested. He was not quite sure why he chose to help offer rewards for his head, he supposed it had to do with guilt.

"No, thank you, Don Diego, some of the privates will help me soon. I am waiting for them to come here, then we will go to work", the sergeant said and looked sadly at the half-filled bottle. "When one cannot even enjoy wine it is a really sad day."

Diego nodded and stood up, he kindly patted the soldier on the shoulder. "Don't worry, sergeant, everything will go back to normal soon."

"You think so, Don Diego?" sergeant Garcia asked with a hint of a smile.

"I certainly hope so. What are the other soldiers doing now?" he asked sergeant Garcia.

"They are keeping watch, searching the mountains. They found a cave with dead bandidos, there was a fire burning so they decided to wait for whoever is still alive to return."

"And you think that that is Zorro", Diego added.

"Sí … or no … I don't know Don Diego, don't ask such hard questions", the sergeant groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Well, sergeant, do try to enjoy that bottle of wine anyway. Adios."

Diego and Bernardo left the saddened sergeant and joined with Don Alejandro again who was in deep discussion with two of the other Dons. One of them, Don Carlos, believed Zorro to be guilty, the other one and Diego's father did not.

"Ah, Diego", his father said, "what did sergeant Garcia have to say?"

Diego gave a quick recollection of the sergeant's words, leaving out all the nonfactual parts.

"Aha, that is just right!" Don Carlos said, "with such a reward on his head and having done something that horrible not even the peasants will refrain from turning him in! I hope he shows himself soon, have the soldiers shoot him like the coward he is."

Don Carlos had hardly finished his sentence before the door to the tavern was opened with needless force. Everyone fell silent and looked at the vaquero who stood there. He was panting heavily and his expression could only mean one thing; more bad news.

"The soldiers … the soldiers who were keeping watch … they have been killed!"

A collective gasp went through the tavern. "Was it Zorro?" someone shouted.

"I don't know. The survivors didn't see anyone! They said it happened all of a sudden, one moment they were moving towards their comrades to join them and in the next they were being killed in front of their eyes."

"No!" a woman gasped before fainting, a waitress caught her before she hit the ground and carried her off.

"How many survivors?" sergeant Garcia asked and stood up, taking on that determined ad serious expression he only ever wore when the danger required everyone's full attention. It was only when he wore that expression that he could not be tricked or distracted. That expression rarely appeared, but when it did, one was sure that the crisis was out of proportion.

"Three, sergeant", the vaquero said, "they are heavily in shock."

"How many soldiers were there?" Diego asked and came to stand next to the sergeant again.

"Twenty, Don Diego, seventeen spread out in a circle around the cave, three who served to take messages from and to those seventeen."

"Spread out?" Diego said alarmed, more to himself than to the sergeant.

"Sí, there was over a mile of distance between the two soldiers furthest away from each other. Zorro could not have done this", the segeant added. "No human could have done that and although Zorro is a mystery, he is most definitely a man."

"You heard that", someone said loudly, "Zorro couldn't have done it! Not that he ever would!"

A lot of the doubters were now also convinced of Zorro's innocence, among those the sergeant. "Well, Don Diego, I have to go see the commandante. I don't really think I will have need for those posters." The sergeant left the tavern, probably for the first time leaving a bottle not emptied on the table.

"You see, Don Carlos", Don Alejandro said, "Zorro did not kill those men."

"I won't believe that until the commandante confirms it", the proud ranchero said.

About an hour later some soldiers walked into the tavern, having received the news of their dead comrades they were in desperate need to leave the quartel, even if it was just for a little while. The waitress put some bottles on their table and gave them her condolences. "On the house", she added solemnly.

"Well?" Don Carlos asked, feeling no sympathy for the soldiers' situation, "what does the commandante have to say?"

"The commandante is angry because he feels that he cannot blame it on Zorro anymore. The fox might be clever, but he can't make things as these happen. We don't know who it is, but it certainly isn't Zorro." The soldier who had answered returned to his cup of wine and not one of them bothered answering any more questions.

Diego knew that he should be relieved, he stood no longer accused. He did however feel no such emotion. He was horrified, whatever could they do about something that killed like that, with no limits and seemingly without any form of emotion. And then there was that immense feeling of guilt that would not go away, the lives of seventeen soldiers was a price too high to pay to prove his innocence.

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I think this story has grown out of proportion, just like the crisis. I'm going to have to spend more time on this than I have to spare. But I just really am on the black horse.

Review!?


	3. The Child

What happens when one crosses Zorro with Marik Ishtar?  
Foxy Boxes! HAHAHA  
… never mind …

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Señor Varela had falsely accused him for being the one responsible for the murder of his wife and their couriers. Nonetheless, Diego wasn't at all angry because of the false accusation, he understood that in a position as that of the señor he'd be unreasonable too.

Both to proof his innocence and because he felt sorry for señor Varela he returned to where the six had been murdered. Like before, they were all still in the place they had been left, nobody daring to come close.

Upon arriving there he once again send Tornado away, scared that the stallion would get caught in the wrong place. Cautiously Zorro thread forward, making his way towards where the six were murdered slowly. For once he was scared. This ruthless murderer was much less predictable than he had thought to begin with and that was reason for worry.

In the dark he tripped. When he turned around to see what it was he had tripped over he saw that it was a fox. He, El Zorro, the fox, had tripped over one of his aliados. The fox was dead. It had not died from the so called curse, but because of scabies Zorro noticed uncomfortable. Tripping over a dead fox in his position seemed rather … ominous.

He made a displeased noise as he crawled to his feet. The threat of this curse was putting them all on edge, especially him who had escaped it so narrowly. It was mere bad luck that he had tripped over the dead fox, nothing else, it could not be a sign. With renewed, although wavering, resolution he continued on his path.

When he was within acceptable distance from the scene he stopped. He waited a few minutes for the moon to come out from behind the clouds, it was too dark to start working as of yet. When ten minutes later the full moon shone down on the scene he gasped. This scene was worse than the previous ones he had seen. If the other soldiers had been parted, these had been diced. Zorro was a bit disgruntled, giving the men the possibility to be buried had seemed like a decent thing to do, though in their current condition there really was nothing left to be buried. A sea of blood was covering the ground and the black carriage standing in the middle of it all seemed like a skeleton. It all came straight from a horror-tale.

On the floor of the carriage lay the señora, her white dress shone in the moonlight. She almost looked like a ghost. Thinking of ghosts in his current situation was a remarkable poor idea and Zorro shrugged the thought off. The señora, unlike the men, was not diced, she had one single slash across her torso. It was indisputably fatal, but was also far gentler than anything this killer had done before. Why? Had perhaps the carriage protected her from further injuries? It was possible.

Regardless of the reason, it was the first little streak of luck that he had with him tonight. Using his lasso he was able to remove her from the murder-scene. He felt bad about having to drag the corpse of a dead woman down from the carriage and over the blood-soaked ground in such a disgraceful manner, but it couldn't be helped, he did not really feel like becoming part of the horrifying scene.

As soon as he had señora Varela in a safe distance he removed the lasso and whistled for Tornado who came at once. He carefully lifted the señora and placed her on Tornado's back. Then, by foot, he removed himself as far away from the spot as possible, he would not take any chances. Then he set of for the pueblo.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles it was early morning. Only a few vaqueros and servants were awake, so he took a dare. He did not move in the shadows, like usual, but simply walked up the plaza, leading Tornado.

The first to notice him was a vaquero. Zorro recognized them as one of the vaqueros who had claimed that there was no way that Zorro could be responsible for the murders. "Señor Zorro", he said surprised, "what are you doing here?"

"Could you please go wake up señor Varela for me", Zorro asked and the vaquero nodded. Within a matter of seconds he had entered the tavern, on the way to awake the man from Spain. Zorro waited patiently, keeping a steady eye on the quartel. He would prefer not to be shot just yet.

A little later the vaquero left the tavern, followed by a half dressed señor Varela. "Zorro!" the señor hissed furiously.

"I feel guilt for what happened to your wife and couriers, señor, even though I am not responsible. I honestly tried to protect your life, not to endanger it." Zorro approached carefully and he saw señor Varela's eyes wander towards the figure on Tornado's back. "The least I can do is assure that you can give her a proper funeral." He lifted the señora of Tornado's back.

"Capitan!" someone yelled, a guard of the quartel has spotted him at last. "Capitan! It is El Zorro!" The gates to the quartel opened and out stormed an unordered legion of lancers lead by sergeant Garcia. They were followed by a still dressing capitan Monastario.

"Shoot him!" the commandante yelled.

"Hold your fire!" señor Varela countered quickly, his anger evident in both his voice and expression. The lancers obeyed. "The first one to fire a single shot will be court martialed, understood?"

"Sí, señor", the sergeant said, a bit relieved. The commandante did not look happy but obliged. "Lower your weapons!"

With quick strides the señor walked forth. Zorro, with his hands full, was no threat to him. With a meter or so between the two left señor Varela stopped and looked first at his dead wife, then he looked the outlaw in the eyes. Then he nodded slowly. "You have sincere eyes, señor Zorro."

Zorro did not flinch. He hoped that his eyes did not only show that he was sincere, but also that he was sorry.

"Tell me", señor Varela said, "if this curse kills so ruthlessly, then how come you were able to get my wife and remain unharmed."

"A lasso, señor", Zorro said, "dead objects are unaffected. I could not do anything for your soldiers." Señor Varela just nodded, neither of the two needed to add that it was due to the fact that they were sliced in such small pieces that it would not be possible to retrieve them with a lasso.

"Gracias", the grief-stricken man said and held out his arms. Zorro carefully handed señora Varela's corpse to her husband. "Amade", he sighed and Zorro pretended not to see the man cry. It was shameful for a man of señor Varela's status to cry, but the outlaw could hardly blame him.

Feeling a bid odd Zorro noted that he had blood on his gloves. He was almost surrounded by soldiers, armed soldiers, but all he could do was look at his gloves. Never before had he had his hands covered in blood, at least not in the same context.

Then, shaking the odd feeling of himself, he turned to Monastario. "Commandante", he said, speaking loud and clear so everyone would hear. "With things as they are you have more important things to focus on than chasing me. I am willing to offer a truce. I will stop ridicule you and your soldiers and help you solve this mystery. In return you stop chasing me or try to reveal my identity while I help you. Then, when this is all over, you can go back to chasing me to your hearts content."

The commandante was shaking with anger. How dared the outlaw make such an offering? "I will not have you shot now, Zorro", he said, his anger present in his voice, "but be assured that the next time me and my lancers come across you we will shoot to kill and feed you to the dogs."

"That's unfortunate", the outlaw whispered as the soldiers retreated. Zorro mouthed his stallion and rode of, disappointed. He had actually hoped the capitan would realize that he could not do this by himself. He would just have to solve this mystery without being seen by the lancers.

* * *

Lancers had been placed at the crossroad, redirecting travelers to Los Angeles by a longer route that was well known for its bandits. That was why every traveler was accompanied by two lancers, regardless if they were traveling from or to Los Angeles. The amount of soldiers left in the quartel had thinned dramatically.

Nobody, neither lancers or other people dared to go anywhere near the road. Sometimes Zorro wondered if the commandante had simply given up on solving the problem. Or perhaps he expected that he, the outlaw, would do it. Well, El Zorro did his best, but he did not seem to get anywhere.

The fire was still burning. He had faked that he had turned ill and that he would not allow anyone but Bernardo near, it was the perfect excuse to be able to watch the cave for over a full day. The fire did not die and nobody came to nourish it. It was unnatural and troublesome.

For a week no new death's occurred. Then a vaquero went missing, he was found a day later by a child who had not listened to his parent's warnings. The mystery was only made more complicated by the fact that the child had survived although literally stumbling over the dead vaquero and his horse. Why had the so called curse refrained from killing the child?

The vaquero had been killed I the same messy manner as all the others, while the child, upon passing the spot later, did not receive a single unnatural injury. Both the commandante and the outlaw were slowly going insane by the unpredictability of the curse. It was as if the reach of the curse was expanding, the bandidos killed in the cave, the soldiers in the mountains, the travelers on the road and now the vaquero on the grassland.

The most pronounced fear of all was that the curse would spread into town.

If they could only know what was the cause. The road had been there for a very long time, ever since Los Angeles was first founded, and it was first now people were dying in a most horrible fashion. It seemed unlikely that the curse had been there all along and had simply decided it would start killing now. No, there must have been some sort of trigger. But what? There had not been anything from the first murder that stood out.

The child that had survived despite stumbling over the vaquero was the first child involved, perhaps the curse did not kill children? It was however an unlikely scenario, it was more likely that the child had simply been lucky, like he and señor Varela had. The only reason to know for sure was to test the theory, but there was only one way to test it, and Zorro would never permit it. Apparently the commandante however would.

The only way to confirm the theory was to consciously let children visit places where people had been killed. That the commandante would actually try this came to Diego's attention because of sergeant Garcia. The sergeant was, as he did most of the time lately, sitting in the tavern with a somber expression, he did not even ask for wine.

When Diego joined him and asked him what was wrong, like he almost always did, the sergeant decided to tell him the truth. "The commandante captured an Indian child and he wants to use him to see if children are immune to the curse."

Diego had at first refused to believe the sergeant. "But sergeant", he had said, "you certainly don't mean that capitan Monastario is going to force the child to go to the cursed area?"

"That is exactly what he is going to do, Don Diego", sergeant Garcia said and Diego was certain that if the sergeant was put through much more he'd end up in a severe depression. "He's just a kid … not even ten years old. What if he dies?"

"Zorro will never allow that", Diego said, in an attempt to comfort the sergeant, although his mind was somewhere else. It would hardly be the first time that the commandante mistreated the Indians, but this was still a new depth if mistreatment.

"I think that the commandante is counting on that, he'll certainly set a trap too", the commandante sighed.

Diego did not reply, he looked around himself. The sergeant was not the only one who was trying to forget the curse in the tavern, the main difference was that others consumed the alcohol, instead of refraining from it. The horror surrounding the pueblo was taking its toll. Many believed that not even Zorro could help them, and Diego had to admit that Zorro probably couldn't.

When he left the tavern he was somewhere happy that he at least had something to do. He wondered if señor Varela was informed about the plan. Somewhere he doubted it, it seemed highly unlikely that the man would allow something like that to happen.

Diego hurried home and informed Bernardo. Diego, going insane by his powerlessness, threw everything from his desk. Books, paper, ink and everything that had been lying there soon faced the ground. Then he punched the wall, hard enough to injure his knuckles. Bernardo quickly came with a towel which Diego held against his hand. "I hate this, Bernardo. There must be answers to this!"

Bernardo simply nodded and kept a wary eye on his patron. It did not happen often that Diego lost control over his mood like that, but when it did things were really wrong. Usually only Bernardo could calm him down, but for the time being it was perhaps best if he could simply let of some steam.

"Tonigh, at sundown", Diego said, after having calmed down somewhat, "the commandante is planning on testing it then. I'll have to stop him."

Two hours later Tornado was carrying the outlaw at tremendous speed towards the cursed area. The commandante and his lancers had left enough tracks for him to follow and it did not take long before he had caught up with them. He held a decent amount of space between the lancers and himself. They were with too many for him to foolishly grab the child and ride off, he'd probably get shot, not to mention that he could not just ride of into the cursed area. He'd have to be patient.

"This is far enough!" he heard the commandante shout. Zorro dismounted Tornado and send the horse away, then he sneaked closer. Like the sergeant had said, they were prepared for his arrival. With a frown he noted that sergeant Garcia wasn't among the soldiers. Odd.

Like expected from a man as power hungry as the commandante, he was a coward. He did not dare go even remotely close to the spot where señora Varela and the escorts had been killed. The cowardice would work to the outlaws advantage if things went according to plan.

He observed as the child clumsily got off the horse and turned to the commandante. "Can I really go home after I do this?" he asked.

Zorro started, taken aback. What was this?

"Yes, of course, my child", the commandante said, conjuring his most stunning smile. "In the carriage there is a little box with a cross on. If you can go and get it for me you can go home." Capitan Monastario crouched down so he was at eye-level with the child and kept smiling as he pointed towards the blood-covered carriage of the Varela's.

Zorro's anger returned with all its intensity. There was no such box in the carriage, he had seen enough of it to know that the capitan was telling a lie. How horrible, tricking a child into walking to his death by promising he would be allowed to go home.

The lancers did not seem too comfortable either, but the idea that the Indians were worth less was too deeply grounded for them to do something about it all. The child ran of, seemingly uncaring about the diced corpses that laid just a few meters from the carriage.

Zorro acted as soon as the child passed his hiding spot. He grabbed the child and pulled him with him into the bushes, he felt the child fighting his grip. "No! Señor! I just want to go home!"

"He lied to you, niño", Zorro said through gritted teeth, "to them you are nothing. They are using you as a human bait."

"Kill him!" they heard the commandante shout behind them as Zorro kept dragging the child along and whistled for Tornado.

"What about the child?" one of the lancers asked.

"I said shoot! I don't care if you kill the child in the process!" capitan Monastario said and Zorro's anger grew further. With his sword he parted the bushes and cleared away several other obstacles in their way. The child could barely keep up and when he heard soft sobbing the outlaw knew that the child had heard the commandante's cruel words.

A bullet missed by a hair and hit a tree in front of the two. There was no way they'd be able to get away from the lancers in that habitat. Looking around himself Zorro made a bold decision. "We'll have to take the road. Tornado can't reach us here." He knew full well it would probably get them both killed, but so would the soldiers' bullets if they did not get away soon. The outlaw was not stupid enough to run over the middle of the road, but stuck to the sides, where they were not entirely unprotected. All the while he was seeing red with anger.

"STOP IT!" someone yelled at the top of their lungs. The voice did without a doubt not belong to any of the soldiers, it was far too accented and came from a completely different direction. There was something about the despair in it that made the outlaw obey. So did the lancers and the commandante.

On top of the rocks stood a person, not very old, fifteen or sixteen, not even an adult yet. The long white hair would indicate a girl, but Zorro had his doubts, the voice had definitely been male, not to mention that the figure was wearing pants.

"Why?" the person yelled, "why must you be so, so … so angry? It hurts!" The teen fell to his knees, clearly sobbing. "Stop being so angry!"

For a couple of seconds not a word was spoken, then Zorro took a step forward. "Who is angry?"

"ALL OF YOU!" the person screamed, "You are! He is!" The teenager pointed at the child. "They are!" Then nodded towards the lancers.

Zorro could not deny the truth, he had been furious, but now that anger was fading away. The situation they were in was too odd to cling on to anger in it. He felt a bit weird, having never been in such a situation before he did not really know what to do, but he was convinced anything was better than what the commandante would come up with. He was highly aware of the soldiers' aimed weapons when he took several additional steps forward, praying the curse wouldn't kill him.

"I'm not angry. Why won't you come down? It is not really safe where you are, people have been dying. Come down and we can talk in …".

He was interrupted by mad laughing "Of course people have been dying! I have been killing them!" The child had hardly finished his words before he screamed out in agony. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO BE ANGRY!" he yelled, sounding almost desperate before five or six lancers fell dead to the grounded, parted with their horses.

"Calm down!" the outlaw yelled and looked at the remaining soldiers and the commandante. Anger was a hard feeling to suppress, but now it seemed their lives depended on it. He himself could not even summon any form of anger anymore, if this was the person responsible for all these death pity was the only feeling he experienced.

"Have you been killing all these people?" the outlaw asked, not unkind.

The person nodded and hugged himself. "I try not to … but it is so hard. It hurts when they are angry, it burns. I can't stop them from being mad any other way." The teen wiped away the tears, but to no avail, new ones replaced them instantly.

Zorro and capitan Monastario shared a glance, for once without any sort of dislike in the exchange. The question going through their heads was the exact same: What the hell would they do now?

* * *

I will not, can not, abandon a story. This will be done, but as you can see it will take some time.

Do please review


	4. Iah

This is what happens Larry! This is what happens when you find a stranger in the alps!  
… This is what happens to stories without first priority.

Gomen'nasai … but enjoy.

* * *

Zorro took several calming breaths, everything to keep his anger under control, then surveyed the situation. The few lancers who were still alive, although horrified about the fate of their colleagues, did their very best to control their emotions. Luckily it was not anger they felt, but horror, which made it all a lot easier.

"Go home", Zorro told the Indian child and gave him a gentle nudge in the back. The child nodded and ran of, in the opposite direction of the adolescent killer. At least one issue resolved, Zorro could only pray the child found his way home.

Then he turned to the teenager on the mountain. He was clutching his head, his expression witnessed of pain. "Please don't", they could hear him whisper. He swayed before falling to his knees.

"We're not angry", Zorro repeated softly. He had dealt with teenagers and children before, but never in situations like these. This kid was dangerous and seemingly not able to control what he was doing.

"I know", the teen said and his deep blue eyes looked into those of the outlaw, they were shadowed with agony and sorrow. "I can tell. You are all afraid." New tears replaced the old ones and the teenager looked down in shame. "I'm so sorry."

Zorro, now knowing that he could thread wherever he wanted to, did no longer pay heed as to where he set foot. Instead he just carefully approached the child, knowing the nature of the curse certainly helped … although it also seemed to make the situation more complicated. He was pretty sure that the commandante and the majority of the remaining lancers just wanted to shoot the kid and get it over with.

For a split second even he considered that, but then dismissed the idea, he would not allow the commandante to shoot the pained adolescent. It did not matter how many the child had murdered, Zorro was pretty sure he could not really be blamed.

"Yes", the outlaw said, convinced that nothing else but the truth would suffice, "we are scared. Terrified even. What you can do is very dangerous."

The white-haired teen hit the ground with his fists and shook his head violently. "No! I don't want people to fear me! I just … I just don't want it to hurt anymore."

What he ultimately said was not really what he had intended to say, Zorro was pretty sure he was not the only one who had noticed that, but he did not trust the commandante not to make any mistakes so he decided to clear it up at once. "You just want to be like everyone else?" he asked.

The teen hugged himself and looked away. "But I am not." Saying those words hardly made him feel better, but at least he was not threatening to kill anyone anymore. Zorro was distracted by the sound of galloping horses, he dared a look towards the lancers and saw that they had left, all but one and Capitan Monastario.

The white-haired kid watched them ride away, and something close to relief appeared on his face. He was quite expressive, which was for the better, otherwise Zorro would never have known what to do. The fewer people the calmer the child seemed to become.

"How are you different?" Zorro asked. The answer to that question might have seemed obvious to anyone else, but the outlaw wanted to make sure to know as much as possible.

The adolescent laughed again, a laugh void of all joy. "I can hurt people", the teenager said and looked with shy eyes at the outlaw, "I can just wish it and they die. As soon as I wish it … Even when I don't really mean to." The white-haired kid wiped his eyes. "I can feel what others feel, when they feel joy I become all warm and tingly, it's so nice. But when they are angry, it feels like torture. I wish for the pain to stop, anything as long as it stops … and then they die. I don't mean to kill them, honestly!"

Zorro swallowed. He did not believe in magic, the supernatural had never interested him, neither had religion. Like everyone of his time he had great respect for the church and the good it did, but he was not particularly religious. Before today he would have denied the possibility that someone like that could exist, someone able to do all that.

"I believe you", the outlaw said sincerely. That they child had no control over what he was doing was obvious. There was not other word for it than sad.

"Please", the teenager whispered, "I don't want to die."

Zorro was taken aback. "I understand that. Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because he wants to kill me", the child said and nodded towards the Capitan, the look on his face terrified.

The Capitan looked alarmed. He knew very well that this child was far more powerful than any of his lancers, he could kill him simply by wishing it, something he did not seem to have any control over. Scaring the teen seemed like a horrible idea. "No! No! I would never harm a child!" the commandante lied smoothly.

"Yes, you would", was the teens somewhat blunt answer. "You were about to, and he saved him." The adolescent looked at the outlaw. "You are nice."

Zorro was rather stunned. The person responsible for all the deaths the last couple of weeks told him he was nice, he had absolutely no idea what to respond to that. It struck him as odd that despite the adolescent's age he acted a lot younger. Zorro supposed it wasn't that weird that the child had not developed like others considering the ability that he had.

The outlaw shook his head, more to gather his thoughts than to deny the statement of the white-haired boy. "He must protect his pueblo", Zorro said, having a very weird experience speaking positively about the Commandante. "You must stop killing, otherwise we won't have a choice. I don't want to kill you, but we can't allow you to murder everyone who passes by."

Fresh tears filled the white-haired boys eyes. "But … but … I really try. I just can't help it."

Zorro sighed deeply, silently. Everything around him felt unreal, as if nothing was really happening. But it was. "Then you have to learn how to control it", the outlaw answered, knowing full well that it was easier said than done.

"How?" the teenager asked, his despair easily noticeable.

Then Zorro did something many would have deemed remarkably stupid. "I'll help you."

"What?" the commandante and the teenager said simultaneously, with two very different tones. The white-haired boy seemed almost ecstatic with joy, capitan Monastario simply sounded confused and horrified.

For about a second the outlaw wondered what the hell he had done, but then he decided he did not regret it. The only other option was killing the teenager and he simply did not have the heart to let that happen. "If you want, of course. I must however say that you don't really have many options. You can come with me and we can try to teach you to control your ability, or the commandante will have you killed, one way or another, and I'm afraid I can't prevent that."

The child stood up and nodded feverishly. "Yes! Please! I'd love that!"

"He's a killer and you are an outlaw!" the commandante said, anger slowly growing in his voice.

Zorro felt the anger grow inside himself too, but quickly subdued it when he heard the whimper from the teenager. "Commandante, this is not the time to be unreasonable. You can't harm him, he's far more powerful than you or any army could ever dream of being. Like this the road will be safe again."

"He must pay for what he has done!" the commandante said and Zorro could tell by one look at the white-haired teenager that he was doing his best not to kill the commandante.

"Commandante, control yourself!" Zorro warned silently, so the teenager wouldn't hear. The commandante looked alarmed for a second but quickly did an effort to subdue his anger.

"Fine. You make sure the niño does not harm anyone else, if he does I will kill him, you and everyone else associated to any of you without any mercy! Señor Varela will have you hanged for this, the both of you!"

Zorro shook his head and decided to ignore the commandante. "Niño, do you have a name?"

"They used to call me Iah", the boy said, not making things any more easy on the three adults. It was not directly a common Spanish name, quite the opposite.

"Iah", the outlaw repeated, "I am Zorro, the outlaw. Will you come down?"

The boy shook his head. "No, not until he leaves." Iah pointed at the commandante.

For a split second the commandante looked livid and Iah screamed out before falling to his knees. That other people's anger hurt him would surely complicate things more. The outlaw was convinced the commandante would not survive, but he turned his horse and left quickly, just before an invisible force left a deep mark on the spot he had just stood.

"I'm so sorry!" the white-haired boy called out horrified.

Zorro knew what was going to happen. The lancer did what he was trained to do, protect his superiors and lifted his weapon. Zorro was faster. With a skilful lash of his whip the weapon flew out of the man's hand and the shot hit a tree. The child ducked nonetheless.

"Leave!" the outlaw called out alarmed. He was not angry, but he was fairly sure the lancer was. The lancer obeyed and quickly followed the commandante who had not bothered returning. Zorro sighed and whistled for Tornado.

Iah carefully looked up from behind the rock he had used for cover. "Are they gone?"

"Yes, Iah, they are gone. At least you did not kill them", Zorro sighed, wondering what he had gotten himself into. A white-haired adolescent with the psyche of a young child called Iah was not directly a common house-guest. He supposed it could not be helped.

Tornado joined his master and neighed lowly, as if to ask what was going on. "Iah", Zorro said as the teenager climbed down from the rocks, "this is Tornado."

Upon coming closer Zorro could tell that Iah really was a boy, he had guessed as much, but had not really been sure. They boy nodded and carefully thread forward, as if he did not want to show that he was frightened by the black horse. Zorro was not fooled.

"Are you not used to horses?" the outlaw asked surprised.

"Only … only very rich people have horses where I am from. They are really rare." Very suddenly the boy sounded a lot older than what he was and Zorro did not dare asking where he was from. The boy shook his head, as if to clear it. "Are you sure he's not dangerous?"

"Tornado is harmless, but very clever." Just as Zorro said it the stallion started making displeased, almost frightened noises. He backed away from Iah warily.

"Animals don't like me", Iah stated, as if it was a simple fact. "They can tell I am different and are afraid."

Zorro sighed and grabbed Tornado's reins. "One can teach a horse almost anything. Teaching a horse not to be afraid isn't that hard if one knows how, takes some time though."

The child frowned but kept his distance from Tornado. Zorro sighed, he did not really have time for that. At least the issue of the killings was resolved, that, if anything, felt rather unreal. "Lets walk home, then", he said and send Tornado ahead.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Iah asked with a tone that made clear that he was confused by the outlaw's lack of fear.

"Because I can imagine that fear is not very pleasant for you", Zorro said kindly.

The boy looked confused. "It isn't … but … emotion is irrational, even when one knows one shouldn't feel it one can't help it. Normally I would have sensed fear from you even though you try to suppress it, but you simply don't fear me. I killed all these people, I'm dangerous, so why don't you fear me?"

The outlaw put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Because there is no reason to. I will admit that I am worried, you are something of a complication, especially since I am but an outlaw. But I don't fear you. Why fear someone who does not wish you harm?"

"I don't wish you harm", the boy said.

"Exactly", Zorro said and smiled, "so I do not need to fear you. We will find a way to teach you how to control your gift and when you can … well, then we will see what we do."

"Thank you, 'amm Zorro", Iah said.

Zorro frowned, pretty sure the kid had just thrown in a word from a completely different language. It certainly wasn't any language he recognized. That Iah was a foreigner was one of the things he had noticed at once, it just bugged him he could not tell where white-haired teen was from.

"May I ask you something?" the outlaw asked, ignoring the gratitude.

"Yes, of course!" Iah said at once, but then his face fell, "though I can't promise I can answer."

"Why is your hair white? You can't be much older than fifteen. Isn't it a bit unusual?"

Iah frowned. "I don't really know why. I think it is punishment." His tone was dark and saddened.

"Punishment?" Zorro echoed, not understanding.

"Yes. The first time I … I killed someone … I felt so bad, so guilty … I was so scared. It was horrible, I did not understand it was me who had done it. Then, the morning after all my hair had fallen out and when it grew back it was all white." Iah grabbed a strand of hair and looked at it, holding it before his eyes, in the pale moonlight it looked like snow. "It used to be black."

Zorro had a hard time believing the story, but decided not to comment. After all, he had no idea how the boy's own emotions affected his wish to kill. At least Iah did not seem to be a bad kid, actually, walking next to him now, Zorro found him rather ordinary.

He almost started to wish that the curse had been real.

* * *

This is raw, unbetad and written in three days. Considering the time of year, it is the best I can do. Hope you liked it and I pray next update will go faster.

And, as always, please review


	5. Lies

This chapter took far longer than it was allowed to take. I do apologize … again.  
I got stuck somewhere in the middle.  
I hope you enjoy it nonetheless though

* * *

"Iah, stay put", Zorro said and looked around. The child obeyed, still so ecstatic by the outlaw's kindness that he would do anything he was told. "Besides me, do you sense anyone else in the region?" the outlaw asked.

Iah shook his head. "No one."

"Alright. Good. This is what we are going to do, we are going to test your range", Zorro explained.

"My what?" the child asked confused.

"Your range. From how far away can you sense someone's emotions", he clarified. At first he had considered keeping the child in the hidden parts of the hacienda, but upon closer reflection it might not at all be wise to bring Iah so close to Zorro's hotheaded father.

"Okay", the child said positively, "how?"

"Simple", the outlaw said, surprised by how eager the child was to learn, "you are going to focus on me, and when you stop sensing me you have to call out to me."

"I can do that!" Iah said, almost bouncing on the spot.

Zorro chuckled. How could this child be an insane killer? "Of course you can. Here I go." Zorro walked backwards, step by step, keeping a keen eye on the adolescent. The further he got without Iah letting him know he could not be sensed anymore the more worried he got. Eventually he got out of earshot, but since he could still see Iah he kept going.

When Iah at last started waving like an idiot Zorro had almost walked a mile. The child was definitely not staying in the hacienda. When Zorro returned he asked the child was still smiling happily.

"That is quite a range you've got", the outlaw commented, unable to hide the dread in his voice.

"It is the same in all directions", Iah informed him.

"Great", Zorro said with a forced smile.

Iah was not as oblivious as he seemed. He shook his head. "No, it isn't. If my range had been smaller than I would have been a danger to less people."

Zorro's smile vanished. "Yeah. It would have been easier. Wait here, I have to go get someone else. He too is very kind. When the three of us are here we can decide what to do now. With such a range and lack of control it is simply too dangerous to let you anywhere near the haciendas. You understand that, right?"

Iah nodded. "I'll make sure not to be seen."

"You do that", Zorro said, regretting having Tornado send ahead. Seeing Tornado come home without him must have scared the hell out of Bernardo. Then he returned home, running as fast as he could. He was a fair runner, but yet he was drenched in sweat when he finally reached the hacienda.

Bernardo came to meet him, having been just as worried as Zorro had feared him to be. The outlaw calmed him down and then quickly explained the situation. Bernardo listened troubled and was not a little surprised to learn that the one responsible for the murders was a child.

"I'm going to need your help", Zorro stated.

Bernardo protested at once and made sure that the outlaw knew why.

"I know Bernardo, Iah will be able to figure out my identity if you come along, but I believe that it is a risk worth taking", Zorro said, "I can not deal with him alone. He is a fine child but I have no possibility of taking care of him without your help. The only alternative is allowing the Commandante to kill him and I can't do that."

Bernardo did not protest further, but he was not pleased. Together they returned towards where Iah was, on horseback. Zorro had to make sure Tornado was not afraid of the boy, it would make for a horrible disadvantage if he was. Not to mention that he also had to make sure that Iah wasn't afraid of the horse, preferably teach him how to ride.

Iah was still standing on the exact same spot when they arrived, he had not moved a fin. It was surprising and a bit freaky. He did however flinch a bit when he saw the two horses. Bernardo noticed it too and when both he and Zorro were standing on the ground he tied them up a bit further away.

"Iah", Zorro said, "this is Bernardo. He can neither hear nor speak."

Iah ran away.

Bernardo and Zorro exchanged a look. Something had set the child off, Zorro had no idea what, but it had been something. Did the child fear Bernardo? It seemed unlikely, after all, he had neither feared the outlaw nor the Commandante. So why now?

"Iah!" he called out, but the child didn't listen. He just kept running, stumbling over his own feet in the process, but just getting up again. Zorro looked at Tornado but realized that going after him on a horse would probably only scare the teenager more.

"Go home", he ordered Bernardo, "make sure nobody questions my absence. I don't know how complicated this will get. If we have bad luck the Commandante could find out my identity simply because I have to take care of Iah."

Bernardo shook his head in disapproval but did not protest. He took Tornado with him as he went, the morning would dawn any time now, he had to hurry back.

Zorro was in an even greater hurry. He had to get to Iah before he got to the road, traveling people did not tend to be in a very good mood. He ran everything he could, but he had already lost sight of Iah. He just hoped the child would not allow himself to kill anyone. It'd make things a lot harder, especially for Iah.

"Iah!" he yelled when he lost sight of the child. Where the hell had he disappeared to? "Iah, for your own safety, come back!"

"Señor Zorro, not another move", a familiar voice said and Zorro heard the familiar click of a gun behind himself.

"Señor Varela", Zorro said as means of greeting. He did not dare turn around, but he was fairly sure that the voice belonged to the man from Spain.

"I heard you and the commandante found the one responsible for the murder on my wife", señor Varela said, "the commandante also told me that you helped the killer get away."

"Did the commandante tell you who the killer was? Or why he kills?" Zorro asked. He was fairly sure that señor Varela was misinformed.

"Does it matter who it is? Or why he kills? People capable of doing something like this, kill in this horrid manner should die!" señor Varela hissed angrily.

"Please, señor, control your anger, for you own sake", Zorro said. He had no idea where Iah was, but if he came too close then señor Varela might have himself killed.

"How could I? He killed my wife!" señor Varela yelled. "I haven't known what to think of you for a very long time, señor Zorro, but now I know you simply love creating chaos. Why else would you help the person responsible for the suffering of the entire town?"

"Señor! Control your emotions!" Zorro replied, doing his best to remain calm. He did not want the señor to be killed. "Anger is dangerous here! Clearly you don't know why Iah kills."

It was such a foolish slip-up. He should never have used Iah's name, the fewer who knew it, the better. It was already too bad that the commandante knew. Silently he scolded himself. It also didn't help his situation.

"Iah?" señor Varela repeated, his tone dangerous. "I will shoot you like a dog for helping that monster!"

"Please don't", a small voice pleaded. "He was just being kind."

"Who are you, niño?" señor Varela asked surprised when he caught sight of the white-haired child.

"Señor, whatever you hear, it is of vital importance that you do not get angry", Zorro said, before Iah could reply. "For your own safety."

"Silent", señor Varela ordered El Zorro and continued looking at Iah. "What are you doing here? Do you know him?"

"He saved me", Iah said, pressing his lips together. "The commandante wanted to kill me and he saved me. He promised he'd help me. I don't want to hurt people. I'm sorry."

"You are Iah?" señor Varela asked, his voice sounding chocked.

Iah nodded and looked at the ground. "Don't be mad at him. It's not his fault."

Señor Varela lowered his gun and luckily enough for all involved he was too shocked to find even iota of anger. No one had informed him that the killer was a child. This had not been what he had expected. Quite the opposite.

"But how?" he asked no one in particular.

"I don't know", Zorro replied, feeling comfortable moving again now that he was no longer at gunpoint.

"It just happens", Iah said, knowing full well what señor Varela was referring to. "I can't control it." Then Iah turned to Zorro. "I'm sorry, I should not have run away. It's just that … you lied. I can tell when people lie. I really hate it when people lie, but I shouldn't have run away."

Zorro walked over to the child. "I understand. I also really dislike people who lie, but sometimes people don't have a choice." He put a gentle hand on Iah's white hair and smiled melancholic.

Then Iah did something Zorro really wasn't used to. "I'm sorry", the child repeated and hugged the outlaw. Two small arms embraced his waist, since Iah did not reach much higher, and he started to cry. Zorro was rendered speechless and he was not quite sure where to leave his arms.

Señor Varela dropped his gun, seemingly unaware of doing so. "This can't be", he whispered. Zorro simply looked at him. He was not much more sure about what to do now, but at least the man wasn't angry. "Why?"

"You want to tell him, Iah?" Zorro asked kindly, still uncomfortable in the situation.

Iah shook his head, still hugging the outlaw. "You tell him", he whispered.

Zorro looked at señor Varela. It seemed insensitive to tell him while Iah was still within earshot. "Can you find the place where we were last time?" Zorro asked the child. Iah nodded. "Go back there. I'll talk to señor Varela. I'll come back soon, okay?"

"And what if you don't?" Iah asked and put some more strength in the hug.

"Don't worry, Iah", Zorro said, "I promise you I'll come and get you and I always keep my promises."

"A foolish promise, El Zorro", a third additional voice said. Iah reacted like a mouse who just spotted the cat. With agility of a squirrel he moved, hiding himself under Zorro's cape.

"What is going on?" señor Varela commanded to know.

Zorro merely shook his head, he had no idea. He could feel Iah quiver in fear behind him. Whatever it was, it terrified the child. He looked around to see if he could tell from whom the voice came. It had sounded a bit odd.

"Show yourself!" señor Varela ordered again.

"Not so alarmed, Cayetano Varela", the voice said again, "I am only here for the boy. Hand him to me and you shall not be harmed."

Zorro noticed that he had the same accent as Iah. They were from the same place. This time, upon spotting the man to whom the voice belonged, Zorro could tell what country he was from. He had the traditional clothing of an Egyptian. These people had come far astray.

"Who are you?" señor Varela asked, unsettled by the fact that the man knew his name.

"Who I am is of no importance", the Egyptian said, "I only want Iah to come back home with me."

"I don't want to", Iah whispered from underneath the cape, only loud enough for Zorro to hear. "He's mean."

"I have no intention of handing him to you. He does not want to go with you, hence he should not be forced", Zorro said defying and stretched himself to his full height.

"El Zorro, I have no respect for criminals. If you don't hand me the boy I will reveal your identity to the whole town. I understand Iah has done a lot of damage, therefore I apologize. If he goes with me this town will once again be safe and both of us can continue with our destinies as if we have never crossed paths." The Egyptian smiled dangerously. "If you keep defying that I will make your existence hard and in the end Iah will come with me anyway. You can't change destiny."

"I do not know why Iah is so important to you. Why do you believe it is destiny for him to go with you?" Zorro asked, stalling for time. Iah was still shaking with fear.

"People like Iah exist only for one purpose", the Egyptian said, "A sacred duty he must fulfill. He has no choice in the matter."

"What sacred duty?" Zorro asked both confused and wary

"That is none of your business", the Egyptian said. But behind Zorro Iah said: "They're going to lock me up in a tomb because they believe that I, with my curse, can protect it from tomb robbers. Then they're going to let me starve to death in there because they think that my ghost will be able to keep protecting this tomb even when I die."

Señor Varela and Zorro exchanged a glance. This was madness. Who would do something like that to a child? Zorro would do the only thing he believed to be right, protect the child, Iah deserved a fate better than that. The outlaw drew his sword.

"Fool", the Egyptian said. "Before the sun goes down again the whole village will know your true name. I will not even have to dirty my hands with your blood, others will do it for me. You will face the gallows and Iah will return home with me. No one but you is foolish enough to protect someone that dangerous."

Zorro could feel it, Iah's attempt to step forth, the child unwilling to jeopardize the life of the only person who had ever treated him kindly. Zorro held him back. "I swear that I will do everything within my might to protect an innocent child from meeting such a cruel fate."

The Egyptian merely laughed, amused by the choice of words Zorro had used, but Iah was touched. Once again Zorro was hugged, even though not really in the traditional manner. "I can tell you're not lying."

* * *

That's it for now

Please review :)


	6. Story

Writers block, anyone?

"Please, not me! Please!" … "Ooh"

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"I do not partake in combat, outlaw", the Egyptian said condescending. "I doubt our paths will cross again, before long you'll hang." Then he looked at Iah who was carefully peeking forth from behind Zorro. "You're too late Iah, the town already knows. Killing me will do neither you nor him any good."

Zorro recoiled. How had that happened so fast? The pueblo wasn't exactly around the corner and just minutes ago the Egyptian had offered him not to tell anyone if he gave up Iah? Had he been bluffing?

"I can kill you anyway", Iah muttered angrily, but nothing happened.

"Iah, we both know you can't. You don't have the heart", the Egyptian said, "you are too kind of a person to voluntarily take a life. Come home now, Iah, and perhaps the Gods will forgive you. Remember they are always watching over you."

"The only God you seem to follow is Seth!" the child yelled angrily, wiping his eyes. "Chaos!"

"You shouldn't talk to your elders like that, Iah. Expect proper punishment when we get home", the foreigner said as if no one was standing in his way. Then he turned to the outlaw. "You can attempt to kill me, though. I am not alone, the Gods are on my side. You will come to me Iah, I needn't even come to get you. As for you, outlaw, may Osiris have mercy on your soul." Then the Egyptian turned and walked away.

The three remaining people simply gawked. Not one of them sure exactly what had happened. Iah was still shaking in fear and Zorro put a comforting arm around him. Truth was that he himself was rather frightened, his life would literally be over if he was exposed.

Señor Varela did still not know what to think. He had completely forgotten that the reason he had set out that morning was to kill Zorro and the person who had killed his wife. Seeing the scene as it was now that thought was almost ridiculous.

"What now?" Zorro sighed.

"I'm sorry", Iah whispered.

The outlaw put a kind hand on the head of the adolescent murderer, a murderer that did not even remotely remind of something as such. "Don't worry about it. I chose this. Señor Varela, I don't know what to say …"

"Don't say anything", señor Varela said, interrupting the outlaw. "I probably don't want to hear it. Get yourself and the child to some place safe before I change my mind and do kill the both of you."

Zorro merely nodded. Considering the circumstances this was more than he had dared hoping for. He would not have blamed señor Varela had he attempted to shoot the both of them. It didn't mean that Zorro would not have tried to do anything about it.

He didn't hesitate. "Come on, Iah, let's go", the outlaw said and with a gentle nudge in the back he urged the still sobbing child to move. Within a matter of seconds they had gotten into a descent jog. Zorro's destination was an abandoned cabin at the very edge of the De la Vega grounds, but it was only a temporary solution, if the people really knew Diego de la Vega actually was Zorro they'd come looking for him there.

They entered the cabin in silence. No one had been there for a long time and the place was a mess, but it would do. He dusted of a chair and offered Iah a seat before dusting off another. He sat down with a sigh, then looked at Iah.

Iah was staring at the floor, hands folded in his lap. His entire posture witnessed of how ashamed he was.

"Iah, look at me", the outlaw said and with a hesitating motion the foreign child looked up. He had tears in his eyes. Even though Zorro had told him not to worry about it, he did. Zorro was silent for a little while, then he said: "It is time to talk. You have to tell me more, Iah."

"Like what?" Iah asked.

"I know you're from Egypt and I know there are people who want to do bad things to you, but still there are lots of things I don't know yet. Who was that man? How and why did you come here? Where's your family?"

"That man was Fadi. He's supposed to take care of children like me, children who because of their gifts are being taken into the tomb keeper clans. It's probably he who got the blame when I ran away, that's why he wants me back, to clear his own name."

"Didn't your parents object?" Zorro asked with a frown. He had a hard time believing that any parent could give their children up to such a cruel fate.

"Yes, initially", Iah said, "but they were forced to give me to them. I don't remember it that well." Iah fell silent, a disturbed look on his face. Apparently he remembered enough to be horrified by the mere memory.

"What happened?" Zorro pressed on carefully.

Iah shook his head, he didn't want to tell the outlaw. He was afraid that Zorro would no longer bother to take care of him if he knew.

"Don't worry Iah, I won't judge you. I just need to know as much as I can to help you. Tell me."

Iah sighed. "It was shortly after I killed for the first time. I was still confused and horrified. Mother was terrified when my hair fell out and turned all white when it grew back, but she said it didn't matter, because she would always love me. Mom and dad never got angry, they were really nice. Then one day Fadi showed up and told my parents that I had to serve the tomb keepers. He never told them why."

Iah fell silent again, placing his head on his arms.

"They protested. Both mom and dad told him that it would never happen. Fadi returned the next day with many armed men. They threatened us all and said that if they would not give me up peacefully they'd kill all of my family and take me anyway."

Zorro could guess where this was going, he was just hoping he was wrong.

"Dad was furious when they said that … and I couldn't help myself. I killed him. Mom and my sibling were terrified when that happened, so was I. I still didn't know it was my doing, not really anyway. Fadi told my mother that as long as I stayed with them people would keep dying. He told her that it was all my doing, but she didn't believe him. She still protected me, so Fadi killed her."

Iah was crying again and Zorro hugged him. He was starting to feel responsible for Iah, in more ways than simply making sure the child would not kill anyone else. He felt responsible for the child's happiness and knowing that the child unwittingly had killed his own parents hurt him. For the first time in his life, his parental instincts were kicking in.

They had remarkable timing. He had most likely been exposed to the whole pueblo and would therefore become a wanted fugitive even as Diego de la Vega, he had nowhere to go and he was taking care of a child that could kill someone by merely wishing it. And now, for this child, a child many would love to see dead, his parental instincts came alive.

"I miss them", Iah whispered.

"I know", Zorro said, and he did. He too had lost his mother and he could relate to missing them. Though he was a bit uncertain about what killing your own parent would do to a child. "But you'll see them again, when your time comes."

Iah merely started to cry more and he shook his head. "No, I won't. Their hearts were light, but mine isn't. I'll never see them again, they will move on while I'll be eaten by Ammit!"

"Ammit?" Zorro asked confused. He was not particularly familiar with Egyptian mythology, but this seemed to veer deep into that territory.

"Ma'at weighs our hearts against her feather, our every sin makes out hearts weigh more and if they weigh more than Ma'at's feather we are eaten by Ammit and refused access to the afterlife", Iah explained and shivered. He clearly believed his own words and that gave him a licit reason to be fearful. "Fadi said that if I wanted to escape Ammit's belly I had to start guarding the tombs as a ghost … but …" Iah sighed.

Zorro wondered if he should burst Iah's bubble. Perhaps he should tell him about all the other belief systems? Was it wise to tell someone like Iah that all he had been told probably was a lie? Then again, did he have the right to destroy someone's belief like that?

Right now that issue was not really the one most burning. Zorro had absolutely no idea what to do right now. If the pueblo knew he, Diego de la Vega, was Zorro then he had to get away as soon as possible. If not, running away would give him away sooner or later. He wondered if he could find out, one way or another, if he really had been exposed.

"How did you end up in California, of all places?" Zorro asked.

Iah shrugged. "I just got on a boat. I have no idea how Fadi found me. I sneaked aboard a ship that seemed to go far and hid. When they found me we were on the way for four days. They considered throwing me overboard, but didn't, it was rather nice of them. They beat me a bit, but eventually the captain just put me to work. I learned how to sail! When we got to California he simply left me at the port and I just wandered around and eventually ended up here."

Zorro considered asking if Iah happened to kill anyone aboard the ship, it was not the most relaxed of environments, but refrained from it. It seemed a bit insensitive. From the boy's expression it was quite clear that he was trying to hide what a horrible sort of experience the journey had been.

"Iah, if it turns out that I have been exposed we are going to take a ship across the pacific and go to Australia, we won't be searched for there."

"You mean you'll take me with you?" Iah asked dumbfounded.

"If you can refrain from killing anyone on the ship with a bad mood, yes, of course I will. You, and Bernardo. This place probably isn't safe for him anymore either. I can't leave any of you to your fate here. Monastario will surely kill you if he finds you and I can't let that happen", Zorro said, reassuring.

"But how are we going to get to Bernardo?" Iah asked, trying not to show how incredibly grateful he was, doing his best to remain composed.

"I'm going to wait to nightfall, if he hasn't found us by then I'm going to look for him", Zorro said. He was fairly sure Bernardo would guess that they were here, but they could not risk staying until sunrise. Therefore he had to find Bernardo before they were found if his manservant didn't hurry. "Until then you should get some rest, it is hard to tell what will happen tomorrow."

* * *

I had to force this chapter out of me. I got stuck pretty fast. I'll do my best to get the next chapter done better and faster. As you can imagine, I'm highly unsatisfied.


	7. Exposed

This time I was a bit faster, enjoy

* * *

For a very long time Monastario had tried to find out who Zorro was. He had done everything to find the answer on that burning question. He had even offered a handsome reward for anyone who could capture him, dead or alive. Nothing had sufficed.

El Zorro had outsmarted him and everyone else attempting to capture him again and again, mocking them, making fools out of them and then just disappearing. He left his mark everywhere as a silent reminder that no one could catch him. The fox was worthy of his name and Monastario hated it.

At the other hand, if anyone knew how to outsmart the curse it would be the outlaw. What no one had expected was for the curse to be a teenager, a foreign child. Monastario still regretted not shooting Iah, it would have ended the whole catastrophe and he could go back to hunting Zorro. El Zorro, who had saved the life of the child. A child that should never have been born. Where could he have possibly come from?

Monastario had not told anyone anything and had made sure that the one lancer that survived would not speak a word about it either. He had merely told people that Zorro was the reason that the killer had gotten away. Of course, most people doubted him, the faith in the outlaw was nearly unwavering among the peasants, but their thoughts didn't matter anyway. Monastario had been quite smug when señor Varela had set out to kill both Zorro and the child.

A pressing matter on his mind was if Iah was the only one, or if there were more like him. If there were more, perhaps adults, then he'd have a huge problem. All of California, all of the world, would have a huge problem. The commandante's fears were soon confirmed.

He had been sitting in his office, pondering over where to go from here, when suddenly a figure had appeared out of nowhere. One moment he had been alone, the next a tall man stood in front of him. Monastario started and even though he would deny it later, he was scared. The man was clearly a foreigner, he had black hair, dark skin and odd clothing.

"My name is Fadi", he said simply, with accented English. "I'm here for Iah."

Monastario swallowed, doing his best to suppress his fear. "I don't have him", he said hostile, "The outlaw Zorro took him. I don't know where they went."

"I know", the man said, unamused, "I met them. I have a promise to keep."

"A promise?" the commandante asked, his dread increasing.

"I promised the outlaw that if he wouldn't give me Iah I'd make sure that all of Los Angeles would know his true identity by sundown", Fadi said, finding no joy in the situation.

The commandante at the other hand was ecstatic. This was what he had wanted more than anything! He would finally find out who El Zorro really was. The life of the outlaw would be over, he could never return to his home, he would be hanged and Monastario could take all the credit. Not to mention that this man would take care of the cursed child.

"You mean you're going to tell me his real identity? But how could you possibly know?" the commandante asked distrusting.

"When one has the gods on their side nothing is impossible", the man said condescending. "All I want you to do in exchange for the information is that you get rid of him … permanently."

"Absolutely!" the commandante exclaimed loosing a bit of his composure. "Please, tell me!"

"The outlaw who has slipped through your fingers for such a long time has acquired a perfect disguise, no one would possibly guess it is him. You yourself have often laughed at the mere idea of it being him", the foreigner said cryptically.

"Who?" the commandante demanded.

"Diego de la Vega", the foreigner said without moving a muscle.

Monastario dropped his jaw. "That can't be! He's a cowardly folly!" The commandante shook his head in disbelieve. "He can't even handle a sword."

"He's fooled all of you cunningly. Whether you choose to believe me or not is your business, but Diego de la Vega is Zorro, and I want to see him dead. Since he knows that I'm telling you he has gone into hiding, you won't find him at the De la Vega hacienda if you go there", the foreigner said. "Now I must take my leave. The moment you have done away with him, I'll return to collect Iah. I'll inform you when I render him out of game and will then leave your town under your tyranny." Then, to the utter astonishment of the commandante, the floor seemed to turn to sand and Fadi dropped right through it. It was as if the sand swallowed him whole. Then the floor returned to its previous state.

Monastario was speechless. What exactly had just happened? He carefully stood up and with only the toes of his boots he touched the floor that had turned to sand just seconds before. It was solid. Carefully he placed his whole foot on it. Still solid. He shuddered a bit but then quickly walked out.

"Lancers! To horse!" he cried before getting a horse for himself. He instructed the lancers loudly from horseback. "The identity of the outlaw, Zorro, has been uncovered. To confirm this we ride out to the De la Vega hacienda. If Don Diego de la Vega is not home it will be confirmed that he's El Zorro!"

"But commandante, that can't be!" sergeant Garcia called out, "Don Diego is my friend! I know him! He's even attempted to help me catch Zorro. He can't be the fox!"

"Don' be so stupid, sergeant! Of course he'd help you try to capture Zorro, it's the perfect disguise!" Monastario growled. "Now we ride! Adelante!"

The procession of lancers, with the commandante up front, set way for the hacienda. The advantage of such a hasted decision was that no one could warn the De la Vegas before he got there. His excitement grew the closer to the hacienda they came. Finally, after all this time, he knew who Zorro was. Although it was still weird to think of Diego de la Vega as a competent swordsman and cunning foe.

They busted into the gates, being met with a highly distressed servant who wondered what was going on. Monastario just yelled something at him and marched into the hacienda. A seething Don Alejandro came out of the library.

"Commandante! What is the meaning of this?" he asked angrily.

"Where here to see if your son is home. Do you know where he is?" Monastario asked impatiently.

"Still in bed, I take it. He's been ill quite often lately. Now tell me why you need to get to him so eagerly", Don Alejandro demanded.

No one bothered telling the ranchero why they were there. Especially Monastario lacked all interest in explaining to the man why they were there. Instead he marched up the stairs, to Don Diego's bedroom. Without knocking he roughly opened the door, making it slam into the wall.

Don Diego was not there, the bed was made, as if no one had been there at all that night. He turned on the spot, walking back down where Don Alejandro was still demanding answers. "He's not in his room. In fact, no one has slept in his bed the entire night. So where is he?"

"I don't know!" Don Alejandro hissed and Monastario could tell the ranchero was being honest. "I thought he slept!"

"That servant then? Where is he?" Monastario asked as the lancers returned. Like ants they had spread through the house, leaving no corner unturned.

"Neither Don Diego nor his manservant are here", one of the lancers said and all the others nodded in confirmation.

"Here he is!" a lancer called from the other side of the house. At once the commandante ran for the cry. He had to see for himself. Don Alejandro followed him, but Monastario didn't care. They arrived just as Bernardo pulled himself from the lancers grip and ran for it.

"Stop him!" the commandante cried out and at once several lancers set after him. For once Sergeant Garcia did not make a fool out of himself by attempting to follow them. Instead he remained where he was, rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"What's going on here!" Don Alejandro growled, having lost all his patience. Nobody answered.

The lancers returned empty-handed. "He vanished into thin air, commandante", one of the lancers said. "One moment we almost had him, then he turned a corner and was gone. We can't find him anywhere!"

"Perhaps the hacienda has hidden corridors or rooms!" a different lancer called out. "My family in Fresno has a hacienda with lots of hidden parts!"

"Go look!" the commandante yelled at once, wondering if he should give that particular lancer sergeant Garcia's job. He couldn't actually do it any worse than the current sergeant did. At once all the lancers scattered, looking for anything that could lead to a hidden compartment.

It took a few minutes, but they found it. Monastario did not think twice but walked in. Don Alejandro followed him and everyone could tell he was surprised, he had not even known about the hidden parts of his home.

"Here!" a lancer called out. When Monastario saw what had made the lancer so excited he almost did a twirl. This was Zorro's layer, there was no doubt. Don Diego's clothes were hanging on the wall. Yes, the foreigner had told the truth, the commandante knew who El Zorro was.

"Did you know about any of this?" Monastario asked, turning to Don Alejandro, although he actually needn't even ask. It was more than obvious that the ranchero was shocked at the discovery of his son being the outlaw. The man sank down on a chair in the cave and buried his face in his hands.

Sergeant Garcia wasn't much better of, to learn that his friend had been the outlaw all along had come like a shock to him. To have it confirmed that it was true was just as much a shock. When the commandante gave the order to pursue Diego and Bernardo the sergeant did not take the lead, like he usually did. He remained in the cave, knowing he'd get degraded for it, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

The lancers and the commandante set out for a wild goose chase. They'd search the entire area for the outlaw, hoping to find him, somewhere, anywhere. Monastario had never been this happy, it did not matter that Bernardo had gotten away, soon both he and his master would be hanged or shot, it all dependent on how much they resisted. One thing was for sure though, El Zorro could never return to his old life.

* * *

Normally I don't work with chapters this short, but I think it is for the better

Please, review


	8. Travel

I know that this is not acceptable. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

But I lost this document several times and had to rewrite it so often that I got sick and tired of it. This was also not the only document I lost, so I had to prioritize

* * *

Bernardo found them. He knew his patron quite well and had known that the abandoned cabin would be where he'd find them if they could be found at all. Diego ran out to meet up with him and inquired about the situation. His worst fears were confirmed.

From the moment the curse had first been mentioned to him Diego had been carrying around a certain feeling of dread, which transformed into something larger when the curse proved so fatal. It had changed his way of viewing the world, not just his, but everyone living in Los Angeles had changed their view of the world. Now, upon receiving the news of his exposure, for the second time in a short period his view of the world was drastically altered.

It was both as if a rock was lifted from his shoulder and as if one was added. It was a relief that the uncertainty of his position was gone, but his new position complicated things. For the briefest moment he wondered if he could keep operating as Zorro in the area, but he discarded it quickly. To live out here required robbing travelers and that was something he would refuse.

Zorro's days as California's most wanted outlaw were over. He could not stay here, he had to leave California and Iah and Bernardo had to go with him. Iah posed a problem, since he was not yet fit to be around people for a prolonged period of time.

"I'm sorry", Iah said, feeling responsible for the exposure of the man who had helped him.

"Bernardo, how do you feel about going to Australia?" Diego asked his servant who looked troubled.

The servant shook his head and pointed at Iah, indicating what Diego already knew. They could not keep the child on a ship without him killing anyone, not unless they found a way to help him control his gift. Not to mention the man who was after them, Fadi.

"I know", Diego sighed, before turning to Iah, "do you think it's possible to learn to control your gift? Can we try?"

Iah nodded eagerly. "Yes! I want to control it! I don't want to hurt people!"

"Then I'll figure out how", Diego said with a thoughtful frown, "but first we have to get out of here. What do you suggest, Mexico or America? Where do you think the commandante is going to look for us. Should we go to Mexico?"

Bernardo shook his head, Iah said nothing.

"America?"

Bernardo nodded.

"I agree", Diego said. "They'll assume we'll go to Mexico, since it's nearer. It'll take more time to leave California if we go to America, but it might be worth a shot."

They didn't waste any more time. Bernardo had managed to take Tornado and an additional horse with himself, he mounted the first one and left Tornado to Diego and Iah. The new problem being that Tornado was afraid of the young boy.

Diego walked over to Tornado together with Iah, who despite his fear of horses didn't protest. He knew that this was the only way and he accepted that. He refused to cause any more trouble than he already had. The kindness of these two men was astounding and he could only be grateful.

Tornado didn't share his sentiment. The moment Iah came too close Tornado fled. Diego went after him and took the reigns. "Listen up here", he hissed, "Iah is coming with us and whether you like it or not; you are carrying him. He wont harm you, so stop being so annoying or we'll be caught all five of us! Bernardo, Iah and I will be hung, if not shot on the spot and who knows what happens to you!" This was not the way you taught a horse how to get over his fears, but for now Diego had neither the patience nor the time to do it properly. He reminded himself to calm down, since they had a very sensitive person in their midst.

He held Tornado's reigns with one hand and helped Iah on the horse with the other. He waited until he was certain that Iah sat alright and that Tornado wouldn't throw him off. The stallion was clearly uncomfortable but calmed down some more when Diego mounted as well. He placed himself behind Iah, since he was afraid that the boy would fall off if he'd sit behind Diego.

Without further delay they set off at a decent pace. They avoided every town, every hacienda, insignificant as it may seem. They rode nonstop for as long as the horses could take it. The night had long since descended on them when they stopped to drink water from a clear spring. But that was all they stopped for, then it was back on again and riding.

When Diego was finally far away enough from Los Angeles to dare sleeping it was already the beginning of the evening of the next night. They had been awake for far over a full day and they were all sleep deprived. Yet Diego told them that he'd take the first guard. Bernardo was about to protest, but Diego shook his head. Iah didn't complain, he almost fainted on the spot when he was allowed to sleep. Bernardo wasn't much better off.

During his guard nothing spectacular happened. There were no signs of soldiers anywhere and it made him exceptionally grateful. They were still in California and there was no possibility to relax yet, but when he surrendered the guard to Bernardo he was fairly sure nothing would happen.

He and Bernardo got perhaps four hours of sleep each before Diego woke up again and told them all that they should go. Iah at the other hand was well rested, something neither men begrudged him. The horses had also slept like the dead and weren't happy when they were forcefully awoken.

Minutes later they were on the road again and they were pushing the horses into a decent trot. They kept that up for quite some time, stopping only to allow the horses to drink and to grab a bite themselves. Sometimes, when they stopped for the night, Bernardo caught fish, but since Diego refused to make a fire he threw them back.

It took them several days to get to America, but they managed it without seeing any soldiers. It seemed that their decision had been wise. America had been preferable to Mexico, the southern country was probably being invaded by soldiers who were looking for the outlaw.

When they reached America at last Bernardo cheered, to the best of his abilities, restricted by his muteness. Yet the fact that he wasn't able to express his joy vocally was easily overruled by the cheerfulness of his demeanor. Diego and Iah laughed, although both were more careful with expressing their joy, after all, California wasn't nearly far away enough yet.

But having left California made that Diego stopped pushing them so hard. Even though they still traveled every day, they took longer brakes and slept every night. It turned out that sitting guard wasn't necessary. Iah didn't only feel the emotions of men when awake, but also when he was asleep. If humans neared he woke up and could warn the others.

Later Iah explained that every person felt differently. He could tell who it was by the nature of their emotions, regardless of the emotion in question. It was more specific than a fingerprint or a face. It was also the reason why Iah didn't react on their presence when asleep, he had gotten use to them.

Diego was amazed when he heard that and decided it was about time to start learning Iah to control his gift. They started this during their breaks, Diego still didn't want to stop traveling, he wanted to get as far away from California as he could. Iah practiced on birds, which Diego and Bernardo teased and worked up. Diego had already known that Iah also was sensitive to the emotions of animals and Iah had confirmed it. After dozens of birds were killed in short succession Iah refused to do it anymore.

"I won't do it anymore! I can't! These birds have done nothing wrong, there is no improvement and they don't deserve to die."

The main problem was that Iah diced them. Had his gift been less violent they would actually have had use of the birds, as food, but not like this."

Diego complied. This method was not giving any results whatsoever and he didn't want to force the boy to kill when he didn't want to. Quite the opposite. Not to mention that it brought the boy physical pain to feel the anger of the birds, even more so in that second of terror before they died. So Diego and Bernardo tried to find other ways to teach Iah how to control his gift.

At last Bernardo came with an idea and although it took him some time to explain it to his patron, when Diego understood he almost hugged his manservant. "Bernardo! That's brilliant."

He spoke with Iah about their new method and the boy was eager. He understood the benefits of learning that and would have started right away, but Zorro suggested he'd sleep first.

The following morning, as Bernardo went out fishing, Zorro and Iah placed themselves in front of a boulder. "That is your target", Diego explained. "Instead of trying to ignore your gift I want you to focus it. I want you to learn how to use it. You only use it unconsciously, you said so yourself, you can't control what happens. Therefore, if you learn to utilize it on a conscious level and widen your understanding of your abilities it may get easier to refrain from attacking people."

"You want me to destroy the rock?" Iah asked and a wide grin appeared on his face. "I'll do my best."

"You do that. I'm going to make up a fire", Diego said, leaving the boy to it. He gathered wood and started working, having increased his survival skills dramatically with the help of Iah, who knew one or two things about survival. Diego could make a fire of the things he found with the help of a common knife. Now and then he threw the boy a glance, but the boulder remained in one piece.

When Bernardo returned with a few decent fish and they had been grilled above the fire Diego called on Iah, who had gradually grown more and more frustrated. He sat down next to Bernardo with a heavy sigh. "It doesn't work."

"Why not?" Diego asked, patiently.

"I can't sense the stone. I can feel every little animal, every bird, every ant, every worm … but not the boulder. I have nothing to concentrate on. I can see it, I can feel it, yet it's as if it's not there", Iah said, attempting to explain.

Diego frowned. The boy really perceived the world different from them. How could you teach someone who didn't even see the world the same as you did?

"I'm not going to give up, though", Iah proclaimed and looked at the rock while he nibbled at his fish. He had his brow knitted in concentration.

Then Bernardo tapped him on the shoulder. Iah looked annoyed at being interrupted but asked what he wanted quite friendly. The boy was remarkably polite in all circumstances. Bernardo shook his head in disapproval. He went to sit next to Iah and mimicked his furious concentration, then he shook his head, indicating that he disagreed on the technique. Instead he sat up, crossed his legs and placed his hands with his palms up on the knees. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and remained seated like that.

Iah looked at Diego for an explanation but the man merely shook his head. So Iah did as Bernardo did and breathed with him. Diego didn't know what either of them was doing, or even if they were doing the same things inside their heads. But suddenly, with a deafening sound, the boulder cracked into many parts.

Diego gawked, but neither Iah nor Bernardo reacted. Lost in their exercise.

It didn't stop at the boulder, Iah's gift was successively digging deeper into the ground. Diego, who was starting to understand that Iah had no idea that he had already managed to achieve his goal, carefully walked over to him, making sure not to come into the line of Iah and the place where the boulder once had been and shook the boy's shoulder.

Iah's eyes snapped up. "What?" he asked, nearly incomprehensible.

"Look"; Diego said and pointed at the place where the boulder had been. "You didn't notice that you succeeded. You just kept going, so I thought it best to interfere."

After that Iah was a bit shaken. He refused to close his eyes anymore whenever he attempted to destroy an inanimate object. He had not quite as much success, but improvement was evident. He used every minute of his awaken time to try and perfect his abilities. Even when traveling he focused loosely on rocks he saw along the way and attempted to destroy them.

By the time Iah was able to do it the moment he wanted it to, they had reached Montana. The climate being a lot colder than what they were used to, Diego took the risk of purchasing clothes with what money they had. Though people were amazed and a bit distrustful when they saw a two men of Spanish origin and a boy with long white hair, they didn't seem to know that he was the outlaw Zorro.

He bought the clothes for more than they were worth, but he didn't mind. With the change of clothes they looked less suspicious and Diego took the risk to buy knew knives and a rhinestone, their old knives having been completely demolished under heavy and unskilled use. He also, after some debate, purchased a third horse.

They had decided to travel even further north, into Canada. Not one of them was particularly fond of the weather, especially knowing it was summer and that it would get colder soon. But for the time being they'd have to stand it. The only other alternative was traveling east, but if they took a ship from there they'd end up in Spain, and there he'd be known. So north it was.

Dressed into surprisingly warm furs and leather they continued on their journey. Iah had tasked himself with limiting his ability. Instead of merely destroying the rock, he concentrated on learning to do so in patterns he decided beforehand.

He started with simply attempting to split it in two. In the beginning he had little success, turning the stone into gravel rather than splitting it in two. Iah's gift was so powerful that he couldn't hold it back. Yet stubborn as he was, he kept it up.

They had gotten well into Canada when something dramatic happened. Tornado, who had after a lot of protesting had grown used to Iah, had been restless. So had Iah been. The further they went, the more restless the two of them got. Bernardo noticed that his horse wasn't much better of.

When Iah had gotten over his fears he had discovered he enjoyed riding and had gotten quite good at it. Perhaps a career as jockey wasn't for him, but he was decent enough. Therefore he rode himself, on Tornade, the only horse who could stand him, making their journey swifter and more comfortable for all involved, horses as well as humans.

Diego had noticed that Iah hadn't been practicing, like he normally did, but instead twitching as if something was annoying him. It reminded of what a person would do when bugged by a fly, but unable to spot it.

"Iah, are you alright?" Diego asked as the sun crawled up to its highest point.

"I don't know. Something is wrong", he said. "I just can't put my finger on it."

Both Bernardo and Diego were on their guard, if Iah said something was wrong, then something was. The child had without a doubt the most developed sixth sense Diego had ever come across. They were on the road for another half an hour when Iah suddenly cried out in pain and fell of Tornado, who was startled by the piercing sound.

"Iah!" Diego called out and quickly dismounted his horse.

"There", Iah said and pointed at the northeast. "Someone is in pain. You have to help them! They're burning!" Diego hesitated but Iah lost his patience. "Don't worry! I can feel you worry! Go! If you want to help me, help them!"

Bernardo did not hesitate and left, Diego followed swiftly in the direction Iah had pointed. They left Tornado with the boy who was writhing in pain on the ground.

Naturally, Iah had been quite right. There was a cabin, it was burning and although it was hard to tell if there were people inside, due to Iah they knew it for a fact. Diego didn't hesitate, he told Bernardo to wait outside and dashed in without thinking.

The cabin was definitely on fire and it would burn down to the ground, but for the moment one could still move around in it. Diego removed his shirt and held it in front of his mouth, filtering the worst of the smoke. The cabin wasn't large, three rooms at most, but it caused the fire to spread quicker and he'd have to hurry if he wanted to save whomever was in there.

He opened the first door and saw a woman lying on the floor. She had clearly passed out, probably poisoned by the smoke. He grabbed her and dragged her out of the cabin in a very ungentlemanly fashion. He left her in Bernardo's care.

"I'm going to see if there is anyone else", Diego said and returned inside before Bernardo could protest, knowing that he was playing with his life. He heard a loud crack followed by a thunderous sound, a sudden glimpse of blue and a new sea of flames above him witnessed of what he had feared, the roof had collapsed.

A cloud of dust ensued from the collapsed roof. Diego had been lucky, the roof above him was still hanging, it had been the left part of the roof that had come down. Had they gotten there minutes later the woman would have died.

"How is she", Diego asked, who had left the cabin, knowing that there was nothing he could do anymore.

Bernardo looked a bit doubtful and shrugged.

"She needs medical attention", Diego stated and Bernardo nodded to confirm it.

Diego lifted her and put her on his horse, before mounting behind her, making her as comfortable as he could. "Let's return to Iah", Diego said, "then we can find a town."

Bernardo nodded and they returned as swiftly as Diego dared with the injured woman with him. When they returned Iah wasn't with Tornado anymore. Bernardo was alarmed but Diego had no trouble finding him, he had left a clear trail of broken branches through the thick trees. It was clear that he had no idea where he had been going, a drunk would have made a straighter path.

Iah was lying on the ground in fetus position, face turned down, sobbing uncontrollably when Diego caught up with him. He didn't hear Diego coming, but the former outlaw knew that Iah was aware of his presence, aware of what he was feeling and right now that was deep concern.

"Iah?" Diego asked and when he didn't receive a reply he knelt down next to the white-haired boy and stroked his hair.

Iah sat up and put two arms around Diego's neck. Diego put his arms around the boy in his turn, allowing maternal instincts to act for him. It wasn't common for the boy to express these kind of strong emotions. The two of them had their special moment, sometimes at night, when Iah woke up from one of his many nightmares, but all by all the boy wasn't prone to these kind of antics. Something was really wrong.

"I felt her …" Iah sobbed, interrupted by his own crying. "I felt her die."

Diego held Iah a little tighter. "Who?"

"The little girl. She got stuck when the fire started, she was so scared, she couldn't move. Then the roof collapsed, I could feel her fade. It took her so long to die. I could feel her life drain out of her, how her emotions changed. First that horrible fear, then the pain and then that horrible … she just waited for her life to fade away. And I felt it all", Iah explained, his words hard to catch, smothered by his crying.

Diego did his very best to keep his own grieve at bay. Had Iah not told him, he'd never have known about the girl. Not to mention that it hurt him to see the odd foreigner so heartbroken, he had grown quite fond of the child.

"Let's go", Diego said and lifted Iah, knowing he would be incapable of walking. The boy buried his face in Diego's shoulder and continued crying, for the first time since his parents died feeling safe, despite all the horrible things that had happened.

"Diego", Iah whispered.

"Yes, Iah?"

"I love you", the boy said, sounding a bit like a small child when saying so.

Diego smiled and wanted to cry at the same time. It hurt a bit, to care so much for a person as ragged as Iah was. "I love you too", Diego replied, knowing that Iah could feel everything else he couldn't voice.

* * *

I finally did it! Yippie!

Forgive me, please. And if you can find it in your hearts, please review.


	9. A New Villain

I've always found Bernardo quite expressive, but he's hard to write that way.

* * *

Iah, exhausted from the psychological strain, had fallen asleep in Diego's arms. When Diego reached Bernardo again the manservant expressed his worry. "He'll be fine. He's just tired", Diego said.

He put Iah on Tornado's back and then helped Bernardo put the woman over a different horse before mounting behind the sleeping boy. In silence they made their way back to the burned down cabin, flames were still visible as it consumed the last of the wood. From their they looked for a trail or something leading them to a larger settlement. There were several trails but one stood out, it was not quite as well used as the others, but it was broader and the only one showing signs of wheels. That was their best guess.

"Bernardo, I've been thinking", Diego said after a while, "from the cabin to the place where Iah collapsed was two miles."

Bernardo nodded with a frown. What did his patron mean?

"The first time we tested Iah's range was just over a mile. It has increased, almost doubled. He might be able to consciously use it, but we still don't know if he can restrain it. I'm worried", Diego explained. "Not to mention that he already picked up on it well before he actually felt it."

Bernardo shrugged, but his expression was compassionate as he looked at Iah.

"What to do?" Diego sighed as they kept to the track.

Bernardo shrugged again. They both knew that they had to test it again, no matter how much Iah disliked it, it was better if they tried on animals and know how the situation was than that they suddenly found out in the proximity of a lot of people.

They continued their journey in silence. Diego and Bernardo both pondering the issue ahead. After this much time on the road they were no longer concerned with the commandante, he wouldn't be able to trace them all the way to Canada.

Iah woke up after they had traveled for half an hour. He groaned something and Diego held in Tornado so that the boy would be able to get down and recover properly. "It feels as if I've been run over by camels", he complained and held onto a tree to maintain his balance.

Bernardo looked confused, having never heard of camels before. Diego at the other hand couldn't help but chuckle at the choice of words. He did know what a camel was and it was an amusing reminder that Iah indeed was a foreigner.

"There are no camels here", Diego assured him.

"Are you certain?" Iah groaned.

Diego shrugged but smiled. "Who knows?"

"Where are we going?" Iah asked when he realized they were no longer on the same spot. He looked around curiously.

"A village, this woman needs help", Diego explained. "We're not certain if this trail leads to a settlement, but we can try. Do you pick up on anyone?"

Iah closed his eyes and concentrated, but then shook his head. "No one in any direction."

Diego nodded. "Let's continue anyway. I've spotted several other small roads that connected to this one and the further we go, the more used it is. It leads somewhere. You can keep riding with me, Iah, we're one horse short for the moment."

Iah merely nodded and mounted behind Diego. The continued without further delay and now that Iah was awake Diego dared to force the horses a tad faster.

"Iah, I have to ask you something", Diego said after a while. The fire had made something in his mind stir and with a sudden brainwave he remembered what had bothered him. "Do you recall the bandits in the cave?"

Diego couldn't see Iah's face, but his tone was sufficient for Diego to derive that Iah hadn't liked to be reminded of them. "Yes, I killed them."

"There was a fire burning", Diego said.

"Yes", Iah confirmed again.

"It kept burning. Even though no one fueled it and it should have long since consumed the wood it had, it kept burning. How did you do that?" Diego asked.

"I didn't", Iah said to Diego's great surprise. "I can't do things like that." He was quiet for a while before he suddenly said: "But I know who can."

"Fadi?" Diego asked.

Iah shook his head.

"Then is it good news or bad news?"

"I'm not sure", Iah confessed. "I'm not the only one who has been forced into the tomb keeper clans. One of the other children had the ability to control the elements, all five of them. She was a bit more lucky than I, since they didn't believe she'd be able to utilize her gift if dead, so they made her one of the guardians, those who must protect the tomb keepers from harm."

"Control the elements, really?" Diego asked dumbfounded.

"If I can kill people by merely wishing it, is it so far fetched to believe that someone can control the elements?" Iah asked, making a fair point.

"I suppose", Diego said and Bernardo laughed a bit. Diego glared at him, only causing the manservant to laugh harder.

"What I don't understand is how she'd have ended up here", Iah mused.

"Do you really think you're the only one able to board a ship?" an unknown, distinctively female voice asked, sharing the same dialect as the white-haired boy. A girl with long, tangled black hair and dark skin stepped forth from between the trees.

Iah was the first to react. He launched himself of Tornado and ran at her, giving her a violent hug, making both of them topple over. He laughed out loud as he crawled of her. "Henna!" he called out with joy.

"Yes, you moron", she said, trying to sound annoyed but with limited success only. She got to her feet and dusted herself of.

"I'm glad to see you!" Iah said enthusiastically, springing to his feet as well.

"Good for you", Henna said, "It took you long enough."

"Long enough, what?" the Egyptian asked confused.

"Long enough to realize that I was around. Do you realize that I've been stalking you for the last month?"

"Why?" Iah asked disturbed and Diego had to admit that it was kind of freaky to have been stalked for such a long amount of time by a girl perhaps fifteen years old. How come Iah hadn't picked up on her?

"Because Fadi has desperately been trying to find you. He's not happy with you. For the moment however he's mostly mad at the commandant, for letting your two companions get away", she said. "I've been giving the soldiers that went to the north a hard time, first a forest fire which they barely survived and then heavy rain, ruining their provisions. They gave up even faster than I thought they would and that calls themselves soldiers."

Diego chuckled. Never before had he heard such a young girl complain about the army being ineffectual, it was quite an interesting experience, although a bit odd. But what wasn't odd nowadays, his whole world had turned upside down, the best he could do was accept it.

"Anyway", she continued, "Fadi doesn't want to deal with your friend over there." Henna pointed at Diego who was still sitting on the horse. "He might know a few tricks, but in a righteous battle he wouldn't stand a chance against the infamous El Zorro. Fadi needs someone else to get rid of the fox for him, until that point there is little he can do."

"Wow", was all Iah said.

"Keep in mind though that Fadi always knows where you are, at any given time, wherever you are", she warned.

Iah nodded. "I know." Then he smiled again, looking at Henna, his happiness at seeing her overshadowing the worry her warning brought.

"Hug me again and I'll turn you into an ice cone", she warned gravely, causing Iah to laugh out loud.

"You'd never do that", he said, but refrained from hugging her nonetheless.

"I don't want to break up this happy reunion, but we've got to get to a settlement", Diego reminded Iah. He gestured towards the unconscious woman.

Henna sighed and rolled her eyes. "And get Iah into the proximity of a village? You do know what that'll mean, right? Put her on the ground next to me, I can heal her."

"How?" Diego asked confused.

Iah at the other hand wasn't surprised, he was insulted. "Hey! I've been practicing!"

"You've been learning how to consciously use your gift, making you even more sensitive to others emotions. It's now of such nature that you'll kill a person even sooner, feeling what they feel at new intensities. It's a start, but this is a fine example of things getting worse before getting better. As it is now you'll probably wipe out the village. You need a lot more training."

"You're insensitive", Iah accused displeased.

"And you're oversensitive", she countered. Then she looked at Bernardo who was still contemplating if leaving the woman to the child was such a good idea. "I can control the elements, everyone knows that water and earth have healing qualities. It'll be no issue at all for me to make her as fit as before."

"She's quite good at it", Iah came to Henna aid.

"Let's give her a shot", Diego said and dismounted so he could help Bernardo put the woman on the ground.

Henna went to work without a word. Before Diego and Bernardo's very eyes she summoned the water from the ditch that separated the trail from the forest, it floated through the air completely ignoring the laws of physics. The only thing Henna did to make it happen was to hold up her hand. The two men were astounded but Iah remained unimpressed, having seen it all before.

Henna held the water above the woman's chest and concentrated. The water became a deeper blue and eventually started glowing. Henna kept this up for a while, then the woman started coughing out loud and the two teenagers helped her into a sitting position. Diego also made his way over to her.

"What happened?" she groaned.

"Your house was on fire", Diego said. "Henna here healed you."

"Thank you", the woman said, still quite confused and not yet fully conscious.

"Not an issue", Henna said and stood up, allowing the water to fall to the ground.

"Where's Selena?" the woman asked and looked from Diego, to Iah and then at Bernardo.

"Selena?" Diego asked, although he could guess. There was only one logical answer as to who Selena was, what mother would not ask for her child as the first thing? Her concern was understandable.

Henna whispered to Iah, too low for the woman to hear: "Get out. Her emotions will not do you any good."

"I'm staying. I'll be fine", he said. "I can't get far away enough in time anyway."

"My baby", the woman whispered.

Diego sighed. "I'm sorry, señora", he said, "We were to late to save your child. She died in the fire."

The expression on the woman's face turned slowly from confused to horror. Iah was shifting uncomfortably and had a troubled expression on his face, doing his best to take distance from the overwhelming emotions of the grieving mother. Then the woman started crying and Diego, who was starting to get used to heartbroken people, hugged her.

Henna put a hand on Iah's shoulder as a gesture of condolence as his expression turned more and more troubled. The sorrow of the mother threatening to consume him even though he fought it. Somewhere in his distant mind he noted that his control had increased, although only slightly. Had the woman been feeling anger at this intensity, he'd have killed her.

Henna was right, he would now be even quicker to kill, he might be better at taking distance from the emotions from others, but he felt them at such intensities that something harmless before could be devastating now.

"Where's your husband, señora?" Diego asked after a while.

"My … Jim … He's not alive anymore. It was just me and … and Selena", she stuttered forth, her words being interrupted by her own sobs.

"I'm sorry", Diego said, throwing a quick glance at Iah to see how he was holding up. Iah merely smiled and nodded at him in assurance, although his smile was forced. He leaned heavily on Henna for support under the weight of the emotions around him.

"I'm alone", the woman whispered. "My baby is dead."

"We'll help you, to the best of our abilities", Diego said reassuringly. "Is there a settlement in the area where you can spend the next few days? No friends or so?"

"That's very kind of you mister, but my poor heart knows that your kindness is not necessary. I'm a dead woman, the fire was meant to kill me, more than my baby", the woman said with a sad smile.

"What do you mean, misses?" Diego asked concerned.

"The fire was meant for me. Bouchard killed my husband and put my house on fire, it must have been him. He had no quarrel with my little girl, but with me and my Jim. That devil!" the woman said.

"Bouchard?" Diego asked again.

"Bouchard owns this area. He suppresses us. Women are not allowed in town during daytime, black people aren't welcome at all. We may not oppose him or even speak about opposing him. My Jim and I minded, we wanted a free city. Bouchard had his man kill my husband and no one could do anything to put him to justice. I fled the town with my little girl and settled in the forest, hoping Bouchard would be content with me leaving. But now he's killed my Selena and when he finds out I survived he'll want to see me dead."

The woman told her story, constantly wiping her eyes, attempting to hold back more tears. Bernardo looked at Diego who listened to the story with a hard expression. It sounded as if this Bouchard was even worse than the Commandante. Bernardo made the little swooshing gesture in the air and for a second Diego smiled. He shrugged as reply.

"Señora, we'll do what we can to make sure that no such evil will happen to you. At least let us know your name", Diego said.

"Maria Tremble, sir. May I inquire to yours? You're obviously a stranger, both your accent and that you didn't know about Bouchard witness of that. Where are you from?"

"Señora, I'm Diego, this is my manservant Bernardo and the two children are my charges, Iah and Henna. Me and Bernardo are from Spain, Iah and Henna from Egypt."

Henna didn't look pleased at all with his statement, but did not protest.

"Spain and Egypt, you say? What an odd party you make. I wonder what someone would be doing so far from home?"

"We're travelers", was all Diego was willing to say.

"Then travel on quickly, foreigners. Bouchard does not welcome you", she said and shuddered. "More than one poor oblivious traveler has fallen victim to him and his men."

"Señora, how could I in good conscious leave when I know you're in danger?" Diego asked.

"That's very kind of you, mister Diego, but there is nothing you can do", Maria said and shook her head. "You needn't worry about me, I will be reunited with my baby and my Jim in the hands of the Lord, for me that's the best thing that can happen."

"Alright", Diego sighed, "should we leave you be, then?"

"Yes, mister, please travel on. I wouldn't want you to fall victim to Bouchard because of me", she said.

Diego stood up, holding out a hand to Maria and helping her to her feet. "Then we shall travel on." He took her hand, bowed and kissed the back of her hand before mounting the horse they had used to take her with them. Bernardo mounted as well and Iah helped Henna on Tornado. She did her very best to pretend the horse did not intimidated her, but she fooled neither of the three males. Iah mounted behind her.

Then they left. When the woman had disappeared from sight Iah shuddered violently, trying to shake the aftertaste of her emotions off himself. "I can sense that you're not willing to leave her to her fate. You're determined to do something", Iah told Diego.

"Yes. I wonder if it's safe for Zorro to resurface here", he sighed. "There doesn't seem to be a difference between Monastario and this Bouchard. Perhaps we should look into it. I just can't stand this suppression of innocent people. Even though Maria doesn't want any help, that doesn't mean that other people share her sentiment."

"But you'll be more suspicious here", Henna said. "You're from California, here people will know it's you at once. You'll have to stay hidden at all times."

"Just like we have the last couple of months", Diego said.

"I suggest you look into the situation first. After all, you only heard her version of the story", Henna said, holding onto Iah as if he was her lifeline.

Bernardo made the swishing movement again and nodded to show his appreciation.

Diego laughed. "It seems that tonight Bouchard gets a visitor", he said. Somewhere deep inside he felt the excitement starting to fight its way up. After all, Zorro was who he really wanted to be.

* * *

I don't even recall my last update, oddly enough. But I hope you enjoyed this.

Happy late Equanox to you all and please review. :)


	10. The Sick Plan

Perhaps I should up the rating on this, seeing as the word horror is quite accurate here

* * *

Bouchard lived in splendid glamor. His estate was grand and it cast a shadow over the small houses that stood around it. The settlement was in exceptionally poor condition, the grandeur of Bouchard's home only adding to that impression. It was built in a valley, surrounded by high hills covered with forests. From a tactical point of view the village was as exposed as it could be. They could be surrounded without knowing it in a matter of minutes.

Right now Diego didn't care though. At first for a very long time he was dressed as Zorro again, the clothes were a bit cold for the climate, but the exercise kept him warm. He had left Bernardo with Henna and Iah in a camp in a hidden cave a few kilometers from the settlement before making his way there. He had moved through the forest, parallel to the path.

He had walked around and placed himself in a position behind the estate of Bouchard and had watched the movement of the guards in and around the building. He did not dare guessing that the soldiers here were as foolish as those of the commandante and therefore used patience. When he had finally grasped the pattern he smiled, it would be no art to find his way into the estate. The only thing that worried him was that the Canadian architecture wasn't the same as the Spanish and he wouldn't be able to guess what was behind each door, as he had been able to in Los Angeles.

He made his way down the slope carefully, doing his best not to attract attention and before long he was in the cellar of the estate. There was no one there and he smiled pleased, he still had knack for this. Iah had insisted on coming along, being able to detect where everyone was, but Diego had refused. The advantages did not live up to the dangers, the odds of running in to someone with a bad mood was way too large for him to take that risk. He would have to rely on his own senses.

He did not really know what he was there for. Perhaps he should have gone into the village instead, but this new perpetrator intrigued him. He left the cellar and ended up in something that must be the servants' quarters. Blending in with the shadows he moved forth, avoiding the people who sometimes came down after a long days work. It was getting late and people were starting to return to bed, he just hoped Bouchard was still awake. He was curious as to what the man was up to.

He had made his way through most of the corridor when he heard soft weeping. It was definitely female and although he knew it was wrong, he went to stand at the door to listen. Another female had to be in the room with the weeping one, for a distinctively female voice spoke. "It's not your fault, Anna."

"But if I had … perhaps he wouldn't have …"

"No, don't say that. Bouchard is a horrible person", the elder voice said. "You acted right, according to the law and more importantly the Lord."

"But he killed them!" the younger girl protested. "Perhaps I could have protected them, their lives are worth more to me than mine. I don't care what people would have thought had it meant they would still have been alive!" Then the young woman was lost in tears again, her soft sobs audible through the wooden door.

"It's good that you defied him, Anna, he had no right to take you against your will", the other woman said. "It's disgusting and in violation of the laws of the Lord. He'd have killed them anyway."

It was starting to dawn on the masked man in the hallway what the two females were talking about and he gawked for a second. This was unheard of! This Bouchard had to be even worse than the commandante, for all his faulty behavior, he would never have advanced himself on a woman like that.

"Oh, you can't know that Christine", Anna said through her tears. "The reason he killed my family must have been my refusal to his approaches, unlawful as they might be. He even had little Josef killed, he was hardly six of age. My little brother, who I have fought to protect all his life and I feel as if I've failed him."

Zorro was now seething with anger. What a fiend! He didn't listen further to the women who were seeking and attempting comfort. Instead he moved further, determined to find Bouchard and make him pay for what he had done. Something this uncivilized couldn't go unpunished, Zorro wouldn't let it go unpunished! First Maria's family and now that of this woman, Anna? What a shameless man. Zorro was glad he hadn't taken Iah along, he'd have gotten _himself_ killed.

He moved silently, soon finding himself in more luxurious parts of the building. He was getting closer, but also more confused. What was wrong with these Canadians and architecture? The layout made no sense to him whatsoever. He had to try his way forth.

Eventually, reaching higher floors, he could make out snobby voices. These men did not sound like servants and the decoration would be a bit overdone for servants. This man lived in even more luxury than one could expect from the outside. It was truly remarkable and considering the state in which the people outside lived in; infuriating.

Oh yes, Iah would have killed him.

"There is nothing to fear", a man said. "No one even knows."

"It's sick!" someone protested, although there was an edge of bemusement to the voice which took the edge of the protest.

"I imagine you would think so, I believe it is the way it should be", the first voice repeated.

"Just for you?" the second man asked condescending.

"No, my dear Lewerentz, for you as well. For everyone who is willing to pay for it. It's a great business idea", the first voice said enthusiastically.

"You could get in trouble with the law", Lewerentz said warningly. "They won't take kindly to what you are doing."

"They aren't going to find out. If there is anyone of whom I suspect is on my trail I'll have them killed, peasant, law-enforcer or nobleman. If they threaten to expose me I'll tear their families apart as well. Kill them, take their daughters and make their sons work labor", the first man, who Zorro guessed was Bouchard, said.

"I take it that the females you talk about aren't willing to cooperate in your project?" Lewerentz asked with distaste in his voice.

"Don't you get it? That's the beauty of it! Tell me, Lewerentz, have you never felt a struggling lady underneath you, pleading for mercy, desperately trying to get away?" Bouchard asked his friend.

Zorro was dumbstruck. There was no other word for it, the horror had not yet registered in his mind. What the hell?! He found himself doubting that he heard what he was hearing correctly. Certainly no one would take pleasure from that? And those poor girls! Did they know yet?

"No, Bouchard, of course not. I'm happily married", Lewerentz snapped at him.

Bouchard snorted with distaste. "Happily married!" he repeated condescending. "No, dear Lewerentz, monogamy is nothing for me. Consensual is nothing for me. I know many a man who would like something more challenging and I can provide it for them, turn it into a business."

"How would that work?" Lewerentz asked, sounding a tad hurt at Bouchard's plainly mean comments.

"Easy. I utilize this mansion, it has quite some dungeons from when it was first built. I take the girls to my liking from the village and amongst the staff and put them there. Then I make sure that only the most trusted of rich men will know about this, making it a sort of exquisite club if you want. They'll pay good money to be able to do whatever they please with the girls and they'll have to keep their mouth's shut otherwise they'll be executed as well as I", Bouchard explained and Zorro felt his stomach turn. Of all the horrible things he had heard in his life, this took the price.

"How will you make sure you're not exposed? You need guards and people to work the land, not to mention servants. Any one of them is likely to be repulsed by this and turn you in, or just shoot you", Lewerentz warned.

"The families of the girls I take will never know their girls were taken. They will be killed, only the youngest of children may live. This will prevent them from talking. I need the children, raising the boys into soldiers and the girls into whores who don't know better than this being the proper way, making them a lot easier to deal with. To keep the soldiers loyal I'll treat them properly and let them have a go at the less valuable girls now and then, they will appreciate it far too much to just turn me in, even those who know better than these values."

"What will happen with the women if they have served their use, when they become too old? Or when they get pregnant?" Lewerentz asked, although his horror had passed on to curiosity.

Zorro was gradually feeling worse and worse. To deprive children like that, both the boys and girl born into this would have hell, even though they wouldn't know it. What a worthless kind of life. He almost sagged to the ground, hearing these words of cruelty. He was beyond anger, it had left an odd void inside him.

"I still need people to work the land. The children and the elder can do that. The elder soldiers may educate the younger boys properly, making them fit to work here. If one of the whores gets pregnant we'll leave the baby with her for as long as it needs feeding, then the elder can take care of them as well. The moment the girls are old enough they'll come working as my servants and the boys as soldiers", Bouchard explained.

"You speak as if you have already started", Lewerentz said.

"I have, several women people believe to be dead are locked in the dungeons and others will soon follow. I have started gathering the girls and women I want for my collection. If you want you can have a look at them."

"I'd be delighted to", Lewerentz said, sounding more and more convinced.

"Ah, soldiers", Bouchard said from the other side of the door, which meant there were several entrances to the room they were in. Zorror took notice. "Very good. One of you may accompany us to the dungeons, the other one can go fetch miss Anna and bring her to my room."

"The girl has turned you down several times already", Lewerentz said, his confusion clear in his voice. "What makes you think that you killing her family will make her more drawn to you?"

Bouchard snorted. "I no longer care what she says. I'll take her against her will. Now come with me." Three pairs of footsteps made their way towards the door which Zorro was listening through. Swift as only he could he hid in a corner. Three men walked through the door, one dressed as a french soldier. Lewerentz was an old, bald, skinny man, abnormally tall and his long limbs and unpleasant face made that he reminded of a rat. Bouchard was a stout man of average height with long, curly black hair, a wig, probably. His expression was that of condescension paired with a lecherous grin and he held his nose high, exposing his throat. Oh, how Zorro would like to let his blade make a trail over that throat, putting an end to this horror.

Just before the door closed behind the three men Zorro slipped into the room. It was a study of sorts, decorated in a most baroque style. There were three doors, one of them was open and at the end of the hallway he could still see the figure of the soldier tasked to go get the woman he had overheard weeping earlier.

He followed him. He couldn't stand leaving the girl in the hands of that sick man with his sick dreams. He kept himself hidden in shadows, while now and then locating a window to make sure that he knew where he was. The soldier made his way down to the servants' quarters and without so much as knocking barged into the room.

A loud argument ensued between Christine and the soldier, but there was nothing that could be done. In a matter of seconds the soldiers dragged Anna out of the room. She must have been ready to go to bed, because her corset was halfway unwound and her long hair flowed down her back like a golden waterfall. Her large blue eyes were terrified yet innocent. How could anyone want to hurt such a pretty and innocent creature?

Zorro's anger flared and in the back of his mind he registered that he really would have to calm down before returning back to Iah. Could he calm down? He wasn't sure. He had seldom been as angry as he was at the moment.

Anna protested, trying to break free from the grip the man had around her arm, but it was to no avail. The soldier dragged her along, when she tripped he hardly gave her time to get back on her feet. Even though it was pointless Anna did not stop fighting, with the desperation of a wildcat she fought against the grip of the soldier. When she scratched his arm he lost patience with her and slapped her in the face, the force throwing her towards the ground.

Zorro snapped. Without thinking twice he acted. He jumped out from between the shadows, behind the soldier and placed the tip of his sword against the soldier's back. The man in front of him stiffened "No caballero manhandles a woman like that. I should kill you, but you can provide a message from me. Tell Bouchard that I will not let his deeds go unpunished! I'll thwart his plans at every turn!"

"I … I'll tell him!" the man stuttered. "Please don't kill me."

"I won't, El Zorro will let you live, for now. But if I see you or anyone else in this place mistreats a señorita again I'll kill them without warning."

"Ouí!" the soldier called out and when he Zorro with skilled move carved a Z in the man's clothing he called out in fear and ran.

Then the masked outlaw turned to the woman who was no longer trembling in fear but was now wearing an expression of utter confusion on her face. She was standing pressed against a wall, stock still, not making a sound and was staring at him wide eyed. "Thank you", she managed to get through her lips eventually.

Zorro bowed in front of her. "I could not let you fall in the claws of that monster of a man. I overheard your previous conversation and I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you", she whispered again, more sincere this time.

"Have you anywhere to go?" he asked, worried for her sake. He would not leave two women to their fate in less than one days time.

"No. I live here", she whispered and cast her eyes to the ground.

"You know that this place is no longer safe for you?" he asked.

She nodded. "I know. But I don't have anywhere to flee to. I have no other family."

"Me and my companions have a small camp where you'll be safe", he said. "You are welcome to come along with me and stay with until Bouchard gets what he deserves, señorita."

"What does señorita mean?" she asked curiously., still confused.

"Lady, I believe", Zorro said. "It's applied to unmarried women."

Anna flushed. "I've never been called lady before. I'm just a servant."

"You're a lady by my standards, señorita, servant or not", Zorro said. "This place is no longer safe, we must leave quickly. Will you come along? I know it's a preposterous suggestion of me, but I'm more concerned with your safety."

She hesitated a second, then bit her lip and nodded bravely. Without further ado they made their way back to the cellar through which Zorro had entered and left the building. He instructed Anna to remain close to the ground and together they found their way up the slope again. Not once did she complain about her only dress getting dirty or that it hurt her hands and knees, she just did as she had been told.

Soon they found themselves in the cover of the woods, safe from the soldiers. Looking down at the estate Zorro could tell that the soldiers were running around like headless chickens. Anna saw it too. "I hope Christine won't get in trouble for this."

"I'll check on her tomorrow night", the outlaw promised.

Anna thanked him yet again before they walked further back into the woods. "We can't go back to the others yet", he told her with low voice as they moved between the trees. Away from Bernardo and Iah as well as the village.

"Why not?" she asked, too innocent to get suspicious.

"Because I'm angry", he said, well aware that it wasn't much of an explanation. She did however not press him further. When they finally found a place which Zorro was content with he didn't dare make a fire, aware that soldiers probably would come looking for them. "Go to sleep", he instructed Anna, "I'll keep watch."

She did as she was ordered without protesting. She had probably been a servant her entire life, being forced to do as she was told in whatever situation. No wonder she didn't object to anything he said.

As she drifted to sleep he looked at her, glad he was able to help her away from that place before Bouchard could defile her. Yet he wasn't quite joyful, his mind was with all the others, those who already were in the dungeons, those he had not been able to save. He felt like a disappointment, not something he was used to, especially not as Zorro. Somehow he had to save them, all of them and make sure Bouchard got what he deserved. Who would have thought that he'd ever run into someone worse than the commandante?

* * *

Yes, you are allowed to accuse me of having a sick imagination. It has occurred that people have told me that they're glad they're not me. It's however no excuse not to review.


	11. Infiltration

Life's been though the last few weeks, but I'm back, for now.  
I've had no time to read through this chapter, so sorry if it's below my usual standard. But hey, enjoy anyway.

* * *

When morning dawned they had not yet been found. More than once Diego had heard voices, shouting, soldiers looking for them. He had kept silent and prayed for them not to be found. His prayers had been heard and for the last two hours or so they had heard nothing. He was grateful they had not used dogs, then capture would have been unavoidable.

Anna had slept through it all and by the time she woke up Diego had been awake for far longer than was healthy, it was therefore understandable that he was hardly able to keep his eyes open when dawn was upon them. The same instant Anna was fully awake he stood up. They'd have to get moving otherwise he'd fall asleep on the spot.

"Come on", he said, trying his best not to show how sleepy he was. "We're going back to our camp, it's the safest place in the area. I just have to warn you, I suggest you keep your emotions in check at all times, especially anger. If you get angry there is nothing any of us can do to save your life."

The young woman stood up and Diego realized only now that she was younger than he had thought at first, she couldn't be twenty yet. Poor girl, he couldn't understand how close she had been to one of the most cruel fates he had ever heard of.

She didn't ask why, she accepted his words without questioning them. And why would she? Knowing Anna would never continue to question him he told her about Iah and Henna and she listened awed. Diego couldn't tell if she believed him or if she thought he was a lunatic, but not once did she express doubt for him. She did however assure him that controlling her emotions wouldn't be an issue.

Iah must have sensed them coming for he came running at them a good mile outside the cave. Without slowing down he jumped at Diego with an enthusiasm that had them both plummeting to the ground. Iah cheered out loud.

When they had both gotten back to their feet he started talking at once. "I've been so worried about you! Bernardo tried to convince us you were okay but I could sense he was worried too when you didn't come home all night! Henna didn't seem to care though. But Bernardo has been up all night, his worry made me feel sick and …" Then Iah caught sight of Anna. "Who are you?"

"Iah, this is Anna", Diego said, stepping in. "Anna, this is Iah."

"Hello", Iah said politely, his enthusiasm gone. He had not met a new person for several months and the experience was quite frankly frightening to him, he did not want to disappoint and kill the stranger, but since he didn't know what to expect he was very cautious. But he found no anger in her, only heartbreaking grief and Iah couldn't help himself, he started to cry.

"Oh my", Anna said confused, not knowing what to do.

"He can feel your sorrow", Diego explained who put an arm around Iah and made shushing noises. When Iah finally managed to distance himself from Anna's grief Diego told him to go away and take Henna with him for an hour or two. "Bernardo, Anna and me will all get angry, so don't come back too early, okay?"

Iah nodded and called out for Henna before turning and running into the forest, glad to be allowed to get away from Anna. Diego watched after them, then he looked at Anna and sighed. It certainly was an odd assembly they were pulling together; Canadians, Californians, Egyptians, not the most common of parties. He invited Anna into the cave, there she was introduced to Bernardo who's silent charm made her feel better at once.

So Diego told both Bernardo and Anna everything that he had overheard. Anna went pale upon realizing what cruel fate she had narrowly escaped, but she remained composed. Bernardo was angry though, almost more so than Diego had been. Diego also told Anna about Maria Tremble. Anna in her turn confirmed that Maria and Jim had been simple but respected citizens before they made an enemy out of Bouchard.

"What can we do?" Anna asked horrified.

Bernardo made a fierce Z figure in the air with a finger.

Diego nodded. "Yes. Bouchard already knows I'm after him, but perhaps there are more legal ways to go about it?" He looked at Anna.

She shook her head. "I don't know much about how these things, but I know that Bouchard stands under the protection of the French. The Canadian government cant do anything to him."

"Then our only possibility would be to make sure a French ambassador comes here and sees this. It would take weeks, months, to get that to happen, in that time Bouchard could ruin more lives than the law is worth", Diego mused. "So lets act outside the law."

Bernardo nodded in agreement.

"Are you going to kill him?" Anna asked with an inscrutable tone to her voice.

"Perhaps, if it comes down to that", Diego said and looked at her, trying to read her emotions. But Anna's body language didn't give anything away, the only one who would have been able to sense what Anna was feeling would have been Iah.

"How are you going to go about it?" she asked curiously. "He'll expect you back tonight."

"I know", Diego sighed, he had also considered that going back tonight may be a poor idea, but he was worried about Christine and he was certain Anna was as well. "Do you know a way in by which I wont be discovered?"

Anna shook her head. "No. Bouchard's men aren't idiots, at times of high alert you'll find them everywhere, unable to avoid them. The only way anyone can get in now without being killed is escorted by soldiers."

"Probably the best way to go about it", a female voice said and Henna sat entered the cave. When seeing the expressions on the faces of the three people present she sighed. "Iah is out of range and yes, I heard everything. I'm a guardian, I can take it, I've seen much worse than Bouchard's perverse little plan."

"What do you mean 'probably the best way to go about it'", Diego asked, deciding not to protest. It was undoubtedly true that Henna was a tough one. Diego had to stop forgetting that these two, in his eyes children, hadn't had the simply childhood he had always taken for granted.

"Infiltrate the place, work from the inside", she explained.

"How?" Diego asked, curious.

"Easy. You and Bernardo they'll kill on sight, Anna they know and she's quite honestly useless in a fighting situation, Iah would kill every single human being in the settlement, which leaves me. Fifteen is the marrying age in more cultures than one, I'm sure Bouchard will agree that it's an acceptable age", Henna explained.

"No!" Diego exclaimed the moment he understood where Henna was going with this.

"Yes", she countered, "if I pretend to be a lone traveler I'll be in his dungeons faster than sandstorm buries a village. I can work from the inside out."

"That's unacceptable", Diego said, "it's far too dangerous for you Henna!"

Anna and Bernardo contributed their protests as well, but Henna didn't listen. "I'm trained in five different sorts of combat and I can control all five elements, they wont know what hit them. But actually I'm just hoping to get down into the dungeons, I could create a tunnel out of the castle and free everyone in it. I can't dig into it, but I can dig out of it. Once all the prisoners are free we can see what we'll do next. But if you want me to, I can have Bouchard dead without much effort."

Bernardo and Diego kept protesting but Anna said: "I think it's a good plan."

"It doesn't matter what any of you thinks about it, I'm going to do it with or without your support, I don't really care.

"Alright", Diego sighed, "but Bouchard is mine."

* * *

That very same day Henna abandoned the rest of them, Iah didn't like it, but there was nothing he could do. Instead he went to sulk and train at the same time. She made her way down to the village over the main road and was seen by many a man.

She entered the settlement half an hour later and even though she had seen many soldiers looking at her, none had done anything. She had on purpose chosen to reveal something a bit revealing, even though it was cold. Everyone had protested about her choice of wardrobe as well, but she had ignored them. Clearly they had no idea what the tomb keeper clan she had gotten stuck in was like.

She acted like she expected any traveler to act, she asked for an inn and was given directions by a soldier. Not much to her surprise, seeing as she had interacted with as many a soldier as possible, she was arrested before she got to the inn. The arrest itself was quite educational. The villagers in who saw it didn't dare to meet her gaze and instead they hurried on. The soldiers at the other hand merely laughed at her well acted fear and confusion.

They bound her hands behind her back and blindfolded her and as they took her to the castle they shamelessly touched her again and again. She did her best to veer away from the hands, but it didn't help, so eventually she gave up, while acting it bothered her. In fact, she was a bit more used to it than she'd admit.

She had been a bit surprised at Diego's strong reaction on Bouchard's plan and his headstrong conviction all women should be treated gently and with respect. In the tomb keepers clan she had been in it was custom to mistreat a women much in the style Bouchard was planning on doing. This was another reason why she had volunteered herself, but not one she could ever explain to Diego.

She also knew that this had not been custom among all tomb keeper clans, in fact, she had heard once that it was absolutely forbidden and that the tomb keepers were supposed to live in harmony. She snorted silently. As if. They rivaled as much between each other as her clan had amongst themselves. She knew though that there were clans where harmony ruled. Naturally, these clans did not kidnap children either.

They kept her blindfolded, but she could tell when they left the outside and entered the castle. It smelled different, it felt different. Eventually the soldiers made her stop walking and there they stood still. They kept touching her, but she stood perfectly still. They stood there for maybe an hour when the touching stopped and she could hear the soldiers back away. A door opened and two or three people walked in.

"Take of her blindfold", a person commanded and a second later Henna could feel rough hands untying her blindfold. As it slipped away a bright light assaulted her eyes and it took her a few minutes to get used to it. Though when her eyes functioned again she could tell by Diego's description that the two people in front of her were Bouchard and Lewerentz.

"What a lovely little girl", Bouchard exclaimed. "Well done, soldiers."

"Isn't she a bit young?" Lewerentz asked skeptically.

"But no", Bouchard said, confirming Henna's suspicions that he indeed wouldn't think she was too young. "Some like them young, the younger the better even. See, there are some lovely twelve year old in the village. They'll serve their purpose just as well." Then Bouchard turned to Henna who was trembling with disgust, but he saw it as fear. "What were you doing in the village, dear?"

"Trying to find a place to stay the night", she said, "I've been traveling far. I must say I hadn't expected this brute treatment."

"Dear girl, I'm afraid your travels come to an end here. We need you in this castle, I have a very special task for you."

"What task?" she asked, acting ignorance.

"You'll see soon enough. I have a very special meeting tonight, you're welcome to attend", Bouchard said and smiled the most eerie smile Henna had ever seen, and she had seen many.

"No, sir, please, I just want to find a place to sleep and travel on tomorrow morning", she said, making it sound like a plea.

Bouchard laughed aloud. "Let me rephrase, you're attending whether you want to or not, the way I want you to. We need the entertainment. Guards, take her away and prepare her, you've got two hours, then she has to be there. If any of you defiles her you'll be executed, understood?"

The soldiers murmured in agreement as well as disappointment. They did not blindfold her again, but they grabbed her arms and led her away. Henna had to suppress a smile, if they took her to the dungeons now, soon she and all the other entertainment would be gone before they realized it. There was only one flaw in her plan, they didn't take her to the dungeons. They took her to a luxurious room where they washed her and dressed her, or undressed her, if one wanted to be specific.

They did obey Bouchard's orders, they didn't 'defile' her, as he so nicely put it, but they did molest her whenever given the chance. They were rough, hurting her in the process as they cleaned her and turned her into some sort of bohemian beauty. She didn't like the way she looked, the person in the mirror wasn't her. She was a warrior, not a doll, but the way they had dressed her she reminded more of the latter, not to mention that it was impossible to fight with the clothes she had.

Like instructed they took her to a room where they chained her to the wall, the chains were just long enough for her to alter between a kneeling and standing position and perhaps take one step forward, but they were too short to allow her to bring her hands together, or for that matter, allow her to control the elements, she needed her hands for that. Now, for the first time since her plan had been set in motion, was she scared. Nothing had gone as planned.

She wasn't the only one chained to the wall, several women, in a similar state of undressed, were chained to the wall as well, but there was too much space between them for them to converse without shouting. Henna quickly concluded that she was the youngest there, but most others were by far prettier than her. Perhaps she could avoid whatever cruel fate that awaited them. A few women cried, others just looked scared and some even seemed to have accepted the situation for what it was, none seemed to be quick to resist.

Soon after every chain in the room had been occupied Bouchard walked in, followed by a group of men of various ages. They sat down at the table at the center of the room, all except for one. A man in his mid thirties paced around the room, looking at all of the women on display. Because that was what they were, on display.

"A fine collection", the man said before sitting down and crossing his legs.

"Feel free to try them before you make up your mind, but let's discuss a few things first. You have already been sworn to secrecy, but I reserve the right to kill whomever of you I believe could expose me, ouí?"

All the men, about fifteen of them, nodded their agreement.

"I must say, Bouchard, I love your idea. How many women are there, in total?" an elder man asked. "And between what ages?"

"At the moment twenty two, but by the end of the month I'll have forty. Right now the youngest is her", he said and pointed at Henna, who was now really getting uncomfortable. "But by the end of the month the youngest will be twelve. The oldest is and will remain thirty eight. I also have a pair of identical twins, lovely girls, for those who hold interest."

More than one of the men smiled at that prospect and a few of them looked like her, measuring her, judging her, with undisguised lust in their eyes. Even though she was no stranger to being looked at with destructive lust, she had always been able to defend herself, being chained up scared her more than she was willing to admit.

"Where do the limits go?" one of the men asked. "What are and aren't we allowed to do to them?"

"You're not allowed to kill them and not allowed to disable them for life, otherwise you're allowed to do as you please", Bouchard said. "I have a lot of interesting instruments that you may use as you please, I'll show you, I have a few darling with me to show you."

He put the items on the table, one after the other. A collar with a leash, common rope, handcuffs, a flogger, a blindfold, a spreader bar and lastly a cat o' nine tails. The last tool made more than one women shudder with fear, the whip looked vicious.

Some of the men thought so as well. "Doesn't that do a little too much damage?" one of them asked,

"I'm glad you asked", Bouchard said and smiled. Then he gestured at one of the guards stationed by the door. The young man left and returned with a woman on a leach, she was naked and had without a doubt just been submitted to the cat o' nine tails. And when Henna saw the woman she forget her fear for a second, because the woman who had just walked in was Maria Tremble. She could barely stand, but the soldier didn't care, he pulled her over to Bouchard and handed him the rope she was bound with.

"This one here has been causing me trouble", Bouchard said as he ruthlessly pushed her down against the table, exposing her back for everyone to see. It was horribly wounded by an uneven pattern of whiplashes. "This is how it looks. We're going to let her heal to see how bad the scarring is. Until that point I want you to refrain from whipping any of my women, I want to see if I can allow it first. But if any of them gives you any trouble come to me and we'll discuss it."

Then he let go of Maria, who sagged to the floor like a puppet who's strings just had been cut. No one bothered with her, bereft of all strength she remained lying on the floor. Conscious, but unresponsive due to pain.

Henna, despite her dire situation had forgotten about her fear. That was Maria Tremble, a woman she had gone out of her way for to cure and now this. It felt like a blow to her integrity as a healer. And what trouble? Defying his evil plans? That was brave, something she should be rewarded for, not punished.

"Like that one?" someone asked and pointed at Henna, freeing her of her angry pondering. She looked around, confused, what was she doing? Then she realized that every other woman in the room looked scared while she just looked pissed. Great.

Bouchard laughed out loud again. "The others have been here for a while, we picked her up just this morning, she still doesn't know what any of this means. She was a reckless traveler, now she's mine."

"Shouldn't we show her what it is all about then?" someone suggested.

"Go ahead", Bouchard said. "There are rooms over there." He pointed towards a door where no guards were posted. "Unless you want to do it right here, right now."

Henna suppressed a smile, disgusted as she was, the moment they unlocked her hands, she'd be free and so would every other woman in this room be. Too bad about the women in the dungeons, but this was a start.

"Why bother unchaining her at all?" the same man asked with a smile."I think I kind of like seeing her like that, unable to fight."

And that was an unfortunate turn of events. If they did that there was not much she could do, not without getting herself killed, anyway. The man stood up and walked towards her, he was a lot taller than her and she felt incredibly small under his gaze. The fear that she showed now was completely genuine.

"Come on", another man protested, "at least give us a good view."

"Fine", the first man sighed and asked for the keys. They were handed to him by Bouchard and she was unlocked swiftly. He held her arms tightly, but he had no idea what he was up for. Using all the skills she had learned while she had been educated by the tomb keepers to become a warrior she made quick work of him.

Everyone was stunned, no one had expected that reaction from her. Henna didn't waste any time, within a second she had used her ability to control the elements to shatter the wall to which the chains were attached, freeing every woman in the room. Within yet another second she had taken out every soldier in the room with breathtaking agility and speed. The other women did however not stand by and watch quietly, a few used the chains sstill attached to their wrists as lethal whips to drive the rest of the men out of the room, a few died when hit unfortunately by the deadly chains.

Bouchard and Lewerentz got away and even though Henna yearned to go after them, she had to concern herself with the women first. "Does any of you know where we are?"

The far left wing of the palace", a woman answered.

"Alright, time to get out then", Henna said and turned to the left. She created a hole in the wall large enough to have four people pass through at the same time. "Someone will have to carry Maria."

Two of the women immediately grabbed hold of the tortured woman and lifted her. Henna went first, creating pathways as they went. Eventually she destroyed a wall and was met with solid rock, this did however not bother her. Using her ability she created a tunnel a bit into the cave, with a single shaft leading up to allow sunlight and fresh air down and to see how deep underground they were.

When everyone was in she repaired the wall and the rock behind it. They moved forward like this, Henna created more space ahead and restored the rock behind them. It didn't go very fast, but that was probably for the best, Maria was in a lot of pain and a higher pace would have been too much on her. This bothered Henna, the rocks were too solid to hold moist and as long as they were underground she would have no access to water to heal Maria.

Knowing this she made the tunnels go higher and higher, in the hope of getting out of the rocky part as quickly as possible, so she could extract water from the ground. But the rocky part remained. She inquired if anyone had any idea what this part looked like, as Henna herself had only been at the other side of the forest, but no one knew. They had always been discouraged to go to this part of the forest because of bandits. If anyone ever went to the forest it was the one at the other side of town, the same were Diego and the others had set up their camp.

So they went on, not willing to come above the surface to quickly and get captured again. Or, more likely, just shot on sight. Eventually Maria lost consciousness, something which alarmed the others but didn't actually matter much to Henna, she knew Maria was in critical condition, something had to be done. Preferably while Maria was unconscious.

Eventually Henna lost he patience, she made a pathway that went steeply upward and would lead them out of the underground. Once they stood above ground she was glad to see that the village was out of sight. They were standing on some sort of plateau of stone and behind them was forest, they had just passed to deep underneath it for Henna to sense the water the ground higher up contained. They walked north, towards forest. The moment they were close enough she instructed the two women who were carrying Maria to put her down so Henna had access to her back.

She summoned water from the plants around her, something which killed him, but it didn't really bother her. Using the healing quality of the water she had soon healed every wound on Maria's back, although there was nothing she could do about the scarring. A few minutes later Maria woke up again, mostly recovered.

"So what's the plan now?" one of the women asked.

Henna merely smiled. "Vengeance."

* * *

So, despite lower standards, I do hope you review.


	12. Criminals

-Hides in corner like beaten dog- I know, I know, I know.

Gomen'nasai!

But enjoy, at last

* * *

"Did someone say vengeance?" a distinctly male voice asked.

The women all tensed and turned towards the sound of the male voice. It was not Diego, as Henna hoped for a second, this voice was too rough and his pitch laid lower. The spoken words reminded of the growling of a bear, the sort of sound Diego couldn't even produce if he tried.

The man was not alone, when he emerged from the forest a hoard of savages accompanied him. They were all dressed in fur and dirt, their hair and beards caked with mud. Henna had been told stories about men like these, large as grizzlies, just as muscled and in their hands baring weapons not of fine kill but brute force. They were warriors in a way, but the complete opposite from the kind that she was.

Some of the women, who had never known else than the comforts of their own homes, who had never been faced with danger, backed away in fear, ready to run at any given moment. Others, who probably also had never set foot outside the village, reacted in a more aggressive way, some even to the point of baring teeth.

But Henna, youngest and shortest among them, took the front. She stood alone before all the women who a few hours ago had been in shackles and chains, she was determined not to let anything happen to them. A few of the men laughed at her but the man who had spoken and had taken the lead did not.

"Calm down, young sorceress, we hold no interest into challenging you. The news of Bouchard's plans has reached our ears too, he has taken our women as well."

"Why did he spill his plans to you? He is so keen on making sure no one finds out what's going on, why would he tell and risk exposure?" Henna hissed wishing she was wearing something different than she was. Each and every single one of them looked as if just called from a Pharaoh's harem, exposed and cold.

"I can vouch for them", one of the women said and stepped forth.

"Traai!" a man called out with audible relief. The resemblance between him and the woman were so great that there was no doubt that they were related, siblings most likely.

"Jannick speaks the truth", Traai continued and walked towards the group of men. "We're bandits, people would kill us on sight or discard anything we say. He told them to taunt them when he took me and my fellow women from our encampment, just to enjoy the anger on their faces. That's how they know."

"We bandits may have a bad name, but when someone messes with anyone of us they mess with the wrong people and will call our wrath upon them. We want vengeance as much as you do", Jannick said and roars of agreement were heard from the men behind him.

"A bandit keeps his words, at least we do, we are people of our word. It is not easily given and always kept. Two of the women taken are dead", Traai said, returning to the embrace of her brother. This news was met with silence, until someone dared asking who they were.

"Kimberly and Joan", Traai said and a collective sigh went through the group. "They killed themselves rather than giving into the whims of that beast."

"Tragic", Jannick sighed, "but their deaths will be avenged and anyone who strives towards that same cause is ally, young sorceress."

"You fight merely for vengeance?" Henna asked.

"Why do you fight?" Jannick asked curiously.

"If I see evil I fight it", Henna said simply. "I fight not because of any personal wrongdoings, I saw suffering, I decided to end it."

Jannick laughed loudly, the sound sounding more like the roar of a mountain lion. "You amuse me, young sorceress, but you should not mistake us for decent people. We are bandits, we steal and kill, we are only loyal to our own, we feel no need to pretend to be heroes."

Henna shrugged. "Fine." Her indifference surprised the leader of the gang a fair bit, but it also increased his respect for her. "Does it even matter why we fight?", Henna continued, "We have a common cause, let's work towards it. What were you planning on doing?"

"What we do best, rob and kill", Jannick said simply. "We target those who carry a wish to be one of the men doing this to our women and see if we can find any evidence of what is going on in the valley on his person. If so, I'm certain I can hand it to you, you seem to be of better descent than we are, perhaps the authorities will listen to you." He smirked.

A few of the women backed away again. Although assured the bandits would not target them, they were still frightened by their disposition. Henna was however not faced by them, she had seen worse. At least with them you always knew where you had them, they would not have hidden intentions, they would speak their truth and when word given stick to it. She was convinced of this.

"Sounds like a quite acceptable plan", Henna said. "I know a person or two who would be able to get proper audition with people who can stop this. Though personally, I would prefer to burn the building down to the ground, with Bouchard left in it."

"You can't do that!" one of the women behind Henna called out, "the villagers would get the blame and be executed!"

"I suspected as much", Henna said, "that's why I'll refrain."

"You operate with the masked man that is wanted?" Jannick asked. "His poster hangs everywhere."

"I know him."

Jannick laughed aloud. "You and him and whoever else is with you make for an odd bunch. You with your sorcery and whatever that masked man did to get in and out of that mansion without getting himself killed

"What we can do is of little importance, what matters is that we have a common enemy. We bring him down and then forget we ever met, got that?" Henna asked a tad hostile. She did not want them to get too curious, a bunch like this would not affect Iah in a good way, in fact she was fairly sure that the lot would get themselves killed.

Jannick did not stop laughing, even when receiving those hostile words. "I wish nothing dearer. We petty criminals do not wish to get ourselves involved with the fancy magic you use. We'd like to keep our skin when this is through."

Then a woman from the rear spoke up. "You can't just forget about these criminals, it's not only Bouchard who has forced us into poverty. They intercept our wares, keeping us from receiving the income we deserve for our hard labor!"

A few other woman made noises of agreement, others did not say anything.

"Get over it", Henna said shortly, "and hold your tongue. See it as payment."

"Payment?" the same woman said, her voice getting a pitch higher.

"Yes. You are staying with these people", Henna said.

It was hard to tell who were more surprised, the women or the bandits. Loud protests arose from both sides. The dislike the two groups shared for each other were understandable, even though the dislike from the women was far greater than that of the bandits. Some of the bandits even looked rather smug.

"Shut up!" Henna commanded, and interestingly enough everyone obeyed. "I would have let you all come with me, but that's far too dangerous, half of you would be dead before nightfall and you won't survive in the forest, so you stay with the bandits."

"They are more monster than men", yet the same woman protested. "You think we'll survive with them?"

"Of course, if any of you gets harmed I'll burn them alive. The same of course, counts for you. Keep it peaceful or enjoy a human barbeque."

"You can do that?" Jannick asked. He had not protested to the idea she had proposed and since he clearly was the one in charge she knew that it would proceed without much trouble, although with a bit of protest.

"Want me to prove it?" Henna asked.

"Please do", Jannick said curiously.

Henna turned to a tree, finding that torching a human being just to prove a point was something of an overkill. She stretched out her hands and concentrated, fire being the element she had most issues with. The tree was soon engulfed in flames, just for a second then she withdrew the element.

The bandits did not look smug anymore and the women had stopped protesting.

"Maria will come with me, the rest stays", Henna said. "Does any of you have any clothes to spare for her. I would not wish to give El Zorro a heart attack, bringing a naked woman to his camp." She smiled a bit at the thought. Prude, prude Diego.

"A heart attack?" one of the bandits asked.

"Never mind", Henna sighed. She had noticed the lack of basic medical understanding before, but she never bothered to explain. It was amazing that people who killed children to have their ghost guard tombs had more understanding of medicine than these people did.

"We have some", Traai said, "I'll be right back." She turned and ran, retuning a good ten minutes later with a bunch of clothes. "These were Joan's, she'll have no use of them now."

"Thank you", Maria said and quickly got dressed, she herself uncomfortable with being naked in such a large group of people.

"It's time for us to go", Henna said. "I have means to contact you if I deem it necessary. Before I forget it, does anyone know what happened to Christine?"

"She's fine", one of the women said, "she got punished, but not severely. She's worried sick about Anna though. So am I."

"Anna is fine", Henna said. "El Zorro kept her from being raped by Bouchard yesterday. Now I have no more time for chitchat. Behave, trust me, I will know if any of you tries something."

Then she walked away, leaving the two groups to handle the rest themselves. Maria followed her, not asking why she was the only one not staying with the bandits. They walked in silence, neither of them speaking. Henna had no doubt that Maria was still in shock so she left her to her thoughts as they wandered on.

* * *

Iah was worried sick. Diego knew this, but there was little he could do about. He too was worried and that did not simplify things for Iah. Diego was worried, Bernardo was worried and Anna was worried, feeling all this worry, including his own, Iah felt really sick.

He was angry as well. He couldn't believe that Diego had allowed Henna to do something that dangerous. Many boulders had turned into pebbles, just so that Iah could calm down a bit. He knew, logically speaking, that Henna was quite capable of taking care of herself, but she had been gone for so long.

That was what was causing them all that worry, that she had been gone for so long. It was early morning, she had almost been gone for a full day, a lot longer than any of them, including Henna, had estimated.

They did their best to scatter their minds, occupy themselves with things to do to make the worry lessen, but it did not work. Bernardo went fishing, giving him all the time to think about what could have happened, Anna went with him to gather eatable herbs and things alike, not much better of. Diego stayed with Iah, who was really sick and clutched his stomach from the pain the worry brought him.

They remained like that, worrying and waiting for the remainder of the day. Diego had decided that he'd give her another day. Perhaps she was forced to wait until dark to travel and had she been delayed during the day. It was not even an unlikely scenario. It did however not lessen the worry.

After a few hours, during which Diego patiently had stayed at Iah's side he was relieved by Anna, who took his place. Iah had taken an immediate liking towards the young woman and he did not mind her being there instead. She sang softly to him, her voice having a calming affect on all. Eventually, as night fell, Iah went to sleep, momentarily relieved from his demons.

Bernardo went to sleep as well and eventually Diego told Anna to do the same thing. It was useless if they were all spent in the morning. So Diego held guard, looking out into the forest, silently praying for Henna to show up. He had long since forgotten what god to pray to. He had been a proper Christian, but Iah, Fadi and Henna had gotten him to doubt. So he just prayed, to whomever would hear him.

Early morning when they had all awoken the worry had disappeared to be replaced with a feeling of silent sorrow. This emotion did not physically hurt Iah, like so many others did, but it made him feel horrible in a completely different way. Especially since it was Henna, his only childhood friend, who the sorrow concerned.

Then, at last, something happened. Iah jumped up, being the first to pick up on it. "Someone is coming our way!" he called out.

"Henna?" Diego asked, jumping up as well.

"No! It's Maria!" he said. "She's alone and she's confused and scared, but mostly confused."

"Maria?!" Diego called out and ran towards the entrance of the hidden cave, but did not spot her. "Where is she?"

"This way!" Iah called out and rushed into the forest, not paying attention to the adults behind him.

"Iah, hold on!" Diego called out and followed him swiftly. "Stay there", he called over his shoulder at Anna and Bernardo. They obeyed, unwillingly, but they remained in place.

Diego marveled at the speed Iah possessed, but he kept up. Within a matter of seconds they had located Maria, who was wandering alone through the forest, unsteady on her feet. When she saw Diego and Iah she sighed with relief. "I found you." Then she collapsed in Diego's arms, unable to stand.

"What happened?" Diego asked horrified before instructing Iah to go get some water.

"Bouchard found me, punished me. But Henna …" Her voice stuck. Iah returned with the water which she drank greedily. "Henna saved us, me and a lot of other women. She got us out of the castle and healed me, then she left the other women in the care of a group of bandits, except for me, she wanted me to come along."

"Then why isn't she with you?" Iah asked impatiently.

"Yesterday evening we met a man, he took her with him, forcefully. She had just enough time to tell me to go and find you and where I was supposed to go, but then she was gone. He just showed up and disappeared again, I don't know how he did it. She looked scared though."

"One of Bouchard's soldiers?" Diego asked.

Iah shook his head before Maria could reply. "No, not one of Bouchard's soldiers. This is way worse."

Maria looked even more concerned than she already had. "He said his name was Fadi."

I started crying, a heartbroken sobbing. "Then she is lost, lost."

* * *

I know this is both short and long since overdue  
But please enjoy and review anyway  
Especially you, IcyWaters, if not for you I would have long since stopped feeling guilty over updating this slowly


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